


Sybarite

by Deathofme



Series: The Three [1]
Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-23
Updated: 2011-09-22
Packaged: 2017-10-23 23:23:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathofme/pseuds/Deathofme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Sybarite: A person who is self-indulgent in their fondness for sensuous luxury"</p><p>On an expedition to the legendary city of El Dorado, the Sanctuary stumble upon two unique abnormals who may hold secrets to the origins of the vampire legacy. Nikola can't help poke his nose in, mayhem ensues, and they discover their guests are more than they seem.</p><p> </p><p>Some Helen/Nikola & Helen/John. Rating is M for later chapters with some scenes of violence. COMPLETE.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The story is Complete and has been previously archived at Sanctuaryfiction.net and fanfiction.net

SYBARITE

 

 _1._   
_a person who is self-indulgent in their fondness for sensuous luxury._   


 

ONE

***

     “Magnus, we’ve got to go _now_.”

 

     Helen grinned impishly as she fumbled with the last few locks on the ornate chest in the center of the temple and called back, “It’s never a mission unless something goes wrong, isn’t it Will?” The lid to the chest finally popped open and Helen found three crumbling scrolls in protective silk sleeves inside. Stowing these quickly into her pack, she caught up with Will and they both ran to the exit before the roof fell down over their heads.

 

     “What do you think is causing this?” Will shouted above the din of falling rock.

 

     Helen chanced a quick look behind her. “I’m not sure, Will, but this building is very old.”

 

     “Yet it’s been stable for thousands of years. Why choose to collapse now?”

 

     Helen thought on Will’s words for a minute, not liking the conclusions she was coming to. “Trap?” His fervent nod signaled very clearly that he was thinking the same, and their legs pumped harder to escape the falling wreckage. Helen undid the clasp to her holster that if need be, she could pull out her handgun at any time.

 

     “Did you get the scrolls?” Helen nodded and grimly and Will put on an extra burst of speed. They just had to get to the temple entrance where Big Guy was waiting in the truck.

 

     Just at the doorway, Will could see the truck already rumbling and idling and chanced a grin at the Big Guy when he suddenly felt something sharp crack against the back of his skull and the world went black.

 

     “Will!”

 

***

 

     “Hey… it’s all right now…”

 

     Will blinked sluggishly, cautiously opening his eyes. He was warm and felt soft sheets around him. His vision was blinded by bright light for a few seconds before he could adjust to his surroundings and realized he was in the infirmary. Doctor Magnus was beaming back at him, and the Big Guy pushed a cup of water towards him.

 

     “You took quite a fall there,” Helen said. Will smiled slowly back at her, downing the cup of water quickly and falling back onto the pillows. “I guess we got out of there okay.”

 

     “And found a guest as well.” Helen passed a penlight over Will’s eyes to make sure he wasn’t concussed, and satisfied pushed a plate of food towards him. Will realized his stomach was growling furiously and gratefully started to eat. “Abnormal?”

 

     “Yup, and a dishy one too.” Will looked up to see Kate and Henry walking into the infirmary. Kate winked at him and plonked herself down into one of the spinning chairs, arms folded on top of the headrest. “Seems like that temple had a guardian you didn’t account for who was a little pissed off that you were stealing his goods.”

 

     “So you mean, an abnormal set off the temple collapsing?”

 

     Helen nodded, looking over some reports Henry handed her. “It seems that way. It was an oversight on my part, I just assumed the temple had been abandoned for centuries.” Henry laughed and said, “Not often we get you admitting to a mistake, doc.”

 

     “Hang on,” Will touched the back of his head lightly, “what do you mean _dishy_?” Kate’s grin grew wider and Helen shot her a warning look. Henry just barked a laugh and folded his arms across his chest. “Seems your temple guardian is a very naked, human-looking male. But he is abnormal, even without the blood tests we ran there’s something a bit different in his physicality.”

 

     Will exhaled deeply. “Great, we have a pissed off, naked temple guardian we have some explanations to make to. Is he awake?” Helen shook her head. “No, not yet. But I think he will soon. When you feel better, let’s go have a chat with our guest.”

 

***

 

     The man sat huddled into one corner of his observation cell. The clothing and blankets the Big Guy had put in there beforehand lay untouched in a pile on the other end of the room. He was pale, his skin almost translucent, and his straggly, white-blonde hair reached to his shoulders. He hugged his knees to himself and stared at them with large eyes as they approached.

 

     Will understood immediately what Henry had meant about the abnormal’s appearance. He looked very human, he could have passed off as an unconventional-looking, albeit handsome, man. His pupils were so large they made his eyes appear black, his nose was longer and slender than average, and his ears were also much larger than normal. Deciding to test something, Will muttered “hello” so quietly that he barely breathed the word.

 

     The man’s gaze shot up to Will’s with a look of wary recognition in his eyes. Will knew immediately that the man had heard him, and he nodded towards Helen. “Hyper-sensitive hearing, look at his facial features. Everything looks geared towards incredibly heightened senses.”

 

     Helen frowned. “This chamber obviously is ill-suited to his needs, but I wonder what sort of room he _would_ find comforting. I have never come across this type of abnormal before.”

 

     Will put his hand up to the glass and said softly, “Hey there. My name is Will. Do you understand what I’m saying? Can you speak our language?”

 

     The man watched him, warily, and Will knew he was heard but it didn’t seem as if the man understood. Will felt a little guilty, watching the scared man. They had entered and violated his home, he must have been scared and he only tried to stop them to defend himself. And now he was in a strange place with people he couldn’t understand. It was definitely not a pleasant situation.

 

     “It looks like we have some research to do, Doc.”

 

     “Indeed. And those scrolls look like the best place to start.”

 

***

 

     Helen had felt a thrill of excitement when she opened the first scroll and smoothed it out over her desk. The legendary city of El Dorado had been just that … a legend. Until the head of the South American sanctuary told her of rumours he had been hearing of information of the lost city being hotly traded on the black market. At first he had ignored it as mere superstition and misleading until he had received a picture of the temple. Helen had jumped at the chance for a field trip, and it seemed that she always received more than she bargained for.

 

     The South American Sanctuary was lending its support in what way it could, but it had its hands full with rash outbreaks of falsified chupacabra sightings, and had allowed her to lead on the case. So here it was… ancient texts from a temple she didn’t think could exist, and she had no idea what kind of information they could contain.

 

     Immediately what she noticed when she opened the scroll was that it was written in pictographs. They were similar to the Egyptian hieroglyphics, but with a very different context of meaning. She could puzzle some of what the pictographs were saying, like images of people dying, of enslavement, of a war, but there were several images so foreign to her that they could have been anything from a depiction of a God, to a number, to the symbol for a tree. She just couldn’t be sure.

 

     Helen tapped her pencil against her lips, musing on whom she could turn to for advice in this. Perhaps the South American Sanctuary’s database had some references she could make a comparison of… or perhaps there was something in her library she could dig up.

 

     “Doc, come in.” Helen looked to her radio that had just chirped. It was Henry’s voice. She carefully put away the scroll and picked up her radio. “Magnus here.”

 

     “Doc, we’ve got a bit of a situation.” Helen was already out of her chair and briskly making her way to the control room. “What kind of situation?”

 

     “You know that temple guardian thing that you and Will carted back home? I think we made a mistake when we assumed he was the only one…” Helen stopped for a moment, ruminating on the gravity of that statement, and then broke into a run.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know our new guests. And Tesla decides to make a surprise visit.

_   
_

TWO

***

 

     Helen burst into the control room to see Henry frantically keying in various codes into the Sanctuary security mainframe. “What’s happened?” She asked, focusing on the closed circuit camera feed. Henry tapped one of the screens and brought up some recorded footage. It was of one of the main hallways, seemingly empty, but Helen noticed a flash of movement just to the right of the screen and then the picture turned to static.

 

     “Now if you slow it down and enhance the image…” Henry typed furiously, the image rewinding and then pausing just at the zenith of the movement. “Don’t look at the hand, but further down the hallway.” Henry pointed to a mirror on the wall, and then enlarged that image. Helen could see the blurry outlines of a pale figure that resembled their temple guardian.

 

     “Bollocks. How did it manage to find us all the way here?”

 

     “Stow-away? I’m not sure, doc, but it’s already caused some mayhem. Three of the CC feeds are down, I’ve lost power to the southwest wing, and some of our residents are totally knocked out. Not a cut on them, but they’re out cold. I think we have our intruder to thank for that.”

 

     Helen sighed. “At least it hasn’t harmed them.”

 

     “I’m thinking it’s trying to find its buddy but it has no idea where he is and is doing this search blind. But, it’s very fast.” Helen clapped her hand to his shoulder and said, “Good work, Henry. You work on trying to get power back to the southwest wing and let’s put the EM shield up. I’ll grab Big Guy and Kate and we’ll try and corner our little guest into the main storage room. Keep an eye on the infirmary feed and let me know its movements.”

 

     Henry gave her a quick thumbs up and said, “Will do, doc” before returning to his computer. Helen called for Big Guy and Kate on her radio and grabbed one of the stunners and raced off down the hallway.

 

     “Here, doc.” It was Kate. “Big Guy’s going to flank on the east end of the Sanctuary and move in, I’m taking the North end. Last we’ve heard of it doing anything was in the northwest resident wing, so we’re going to try and herd it your way. Kate out.”

 

     Helen kept her stunner out, covering the west hallway she was in thoroughly and quickly. Luckily, this corridor of the sanctuary had only one room it connected to, so she knew the abnormal couldn’t have escaped anywhere else. She pushed open the doors to her library, scouting the area, pointing her stunner methodically in each direction.

 

     “Come now, Helen, it’s rude to disable your guests.”

 

     Helen started, the stunner almost firing in her hand and whirled around to see someone standing behind her.

 

***

 

     The tall, impossibly slender man opened his arms in an ironic gesture of greeting with a smug smile gracing his features. “You’ve been holding out on me, darling.”

 

     “ _Nikola Tesla you have the absolute WORST timing possible when it comes to surprise visits!_ ” Helen shook visibly with irritation, her stunner slapping her thigh as she lowered it angrily.

 

     “Is raising your voice really necessary, you know, a woman of your age shouldn’t excite herself.” His grin grew broader. “Though you do preserve _exceptionally_ well.”

 

     Helen, still furious, snapped at him. “I have an angry, loose abnormal causing havoc in my house so I really don’t have the time right now to exchange fripperies with you. Kindly make yourself useful or show yourself out.” She stalked angrily away from him and towards the library’s exit, before turning and adding as an afterthought, “And stop breaking into my house.”

 

     Tesla followed closely behind her, unruffled. “I fix your house for free, I should have some liberties.” Helen sneered, “Yes, your _liberties_ have emptied my entire wine cellar.”

 

     Tesla insisted on following right beside her as she made her way through the next wing that connected to some residents’ rooms. She methodically checked in on each of them to ascertain they were fine, and move in to pincer with Big Guy and Kate.

 

     “And an impressive collection it was at that, but tell me now about El Dorado. Even I thought it was just a myth, but it seems like daddy’s little girl managed to make one dream come true. I am disappointed though, Helen, that you did not choose to share such a find with as dear a friend as me.”

 

     Helen nudged open the last door in the corridor that would take them through to the storage room where they were hoping to trap the abnormal. “Quiet, Nikola.”

 

     “Magnus.” Helen grabbed her radio; it was Big Guy. “Magnus here.”

 

     “I haven’t been able to contact Kate.” Helen’s heart fell. “Where was she last?” Her radio crackled. “The infirmary…”

 

     “Come on!” Helen raised her stunner and bolted through the storage room, Tesla following closely behind. They pounded down the eastern hallway, Helen’s heart racing in her chest as she keyed in her security code to the infirmary door. Stunner muzzle first, she burst into the room to see Kate lying prostate on the floor.

 

     A pale woman was straddling her chest, face inches away from Kate’s. Kate looked unconscious, and there was a light, whispery fog escaping her mouth that the pale woman seemed to be drinking in. The abnormal’s head turned sharply to look at them when she heard them enter.

 

     Nikola chuckled, striding forward slowly and already half-transformed, his tapered claws appearing with a dangerous _snick_. Helen gamely pointed the stunner at the abnormal and was about to shoot when the woman leapt away from Kate, hissing at them. Helen realized the abnormal woman was staring at Nikola with a look of such intense hatred, and yet was withdrawing into herself, her body trembling.

 

     “Wait,” Helen said, holding out an arm to stop Nikola from advancing. He cracked his neck menacingly but stopped pacing forward. Helen called out to the abnormal woman. “What are you doing here?”

 

     The woman’s eyes, like drops of black oil, snapped to her and she could see them glowering slightly, as if trying to understand what Helen was saying. Helen realized this woman was the same type of abnormal the male was, and probably wouldn’t understand English, and was then surprised when she responded.

 

     “Where is he?”

 

     Helen knew instantly who the abnormal was referring to. “He’s safe. He’s here. We haven’t harmed him, we don’t intend to. What did you do to my friend here?”

 

     The pale woman backed further into the corner, her body tensed like a coiled spring. She looked frightened and desperate, and Helen kept her stunner pointed at her, afraid she would get desperate enough to attack them.

 

     “Are you of the Family?” The woman asked, looking at Helen. Her eyes kept darting nervously back to Nikola, she was obviously terrified of him for some reason. Helen shook her head, “I don’t know what the Family is.”

 

     Nikola, however, had already caught on. “You mean the ancient vampires. No, she is not one of them.”

 

     “But you are…” She glared at him suspiciously, but then came forward slowly, her hands in front of her and her head bowed. “Please, take me to him. Please.”

 

     Helen’s eyes widened to see the abnormal who had just caused such a ruckus in her sanctuary, suddenly groveling subserviently at Nikola Tesla’s feet. It certainly wouldn’t do anything for his already astronomical ego. He, of course, began grinning like a fox and he winked at Helen.

 

     “Finally, the correct recognition and awe for an intellect as staggering as my mine. You could learn something.”

 

***

 

     Helen had Big Guy take Kate back to her room. She was alive, breathing well and seemed relatively unharmed, but was still unconscious. She and Nikola escorted the pale woman to the room where her kin was. Helen thought it odd, the pale woman seemed incredibly conscious to not do anything to offend Nikola, and yet seemed to harbour an incredible hatred for him as well.

 

     When the pale woman was shown the glass room her friend was in, she immediately put her hand up to the glass. “He is hurting. This is not a good place for him.”

 

     The abnormal man had an air excitement about him before they even entered the room. He put his hand up to the glass as well, and seemed to be communicating with the abnormal woman wordlessly. Helen placed her stunner back on her belt, it seemed she wouldn’t need it anymore. “I am sorry for that. I have never encountered your kind before, and do not know what your needs are.”

 

     “The room. It is too hard. Too cold. We need…” The woman struggled, however she had obtained her knowledge of English, there were still words that eluded her, “… we need to not… feel. No strong feelings. Very light. Let me go in.”

 

     Helen opened the door to the chamber and the woman stepped in. She breathed something that resembled the fog that was escaping Kate’s mouth, that the male inhaled quickly. Suddenly, he turned to Helen and hissed, “Why were you in the temple? Why did you seek the archive of the ancestors?”

 

     Nikola turned to her, looking altogether human again, and clucked his tongue. “Playing Lara Croft again are we? You know, some people take exception to having their family heirlooms stolen.”

 

***

     The two new guests of the Sanctuary had finally been able to communicate enough in their broken sense of English to accommodate themselves in shallow tanks of water. Will had been correct in his first assessment, their senses were incredibly heightened, but to the point where most outward stimuli disturbed them. Henry was already looking into modifying some of their equipment to create a sensory deprivation chamber. At the moment, the two new abnormals seemed at peace to rest and cooperate, but they were still icily angry enough to impart no information to her.

 

     Kate woke up a half hour after she had been stunned, couldn’t remember anything that had happened apart from falling to the ground, but she tested completely normal and healthy and was holed up watching television with Henry to get over the shock of the day. Will had already gained some success in talking with the two new abnormals, so Helen figured it was all best to just continue in the morning.

 

     Tesla hadn’t left, and in fact had managed to scrounge up one of the last five bottles of wine in her cellar which he was liberally helping himself to. “Some friends you’ve made today.”

 

     “I hope you brought a glass for me.”

 

     Nikola brought over a second glass with a flourish of his hand, grinning. “I am a gentleman.” He spoke as he poured her a very full glass of wine. “You, on the other hand, have been most un-ladylike in keeping that kind of information from me.”

 

     Helen sipped from her glass and shook her finger at him. “You go and vanish whenever you want to, and you’re impossible to find. You can’t expect me to keep up a correspondence with a man who’s supposed to be dead.”

 

     Nikola leant over the table, unable to keep in his excitement. His face lit up like a small boy’s at the counter of a candy shop. “Come on, Helen… what did you find?”

 

     Helen couldn’t help but grin back and brought out the three scrolls. Nikola snatched them up greedily, and reverently pulled the first one out of its sleeve, unrolling it. His breath hushed audibly as he stared at the pictographs. “Enchanting…”

 

     “It’s not a language I’ve seen before, although it looks relatively simple to decipher. I’ve been trying to see if I can match these images with any of the indigenous cultures in the Sanctuary database.”

 

     Nikola’s fingers delicately ran over the old, thick parchment. The tip of his finger rested gently on one figure and his eyebrows raised. “Well, I can tell you one word in this scroll.”

 

     Helen leant over to see the picture he was pointing at. It was of a tall figure, heavily jeweled, with a familiar rune in the center of a pendant around its neck. Nikola’s eyes sparkled and he whispered, “Vampire…”


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

***

 

     “So are you two guardians of the temple?”

 

     The pale man and woman had both awoken, and seemed content to remain docile. They sat up in their shallow tanks, but were still fixing Will with piercing, accusing eyes. Finally, the man nodded.

 

     “Are there more of you?”

 

     The man absently played with the surface of the water, the tips of his fingers almost seeming to stick to the liquid more than usual. He was reveling in its sensation, but turned his focus back to Will. “Not anymore.”

 

     The fact that they were both naked tested Will’s concentration, but those last words sent a chill up his spine. He immediately felt sorry for them. “Are you… are the only ones left?”

 

     They both nodded gravely. The woman whispered, “It happened a very long time ago.”

 

     “What happened?”

 

     She uttered a word that he did not recognize. It was in their native tongue. There was still some vocabulary that they did not know, and had to resort to their original language. Will was finding it difficult to help them find substitutes for certain terms in English, but they were making progress.

 

     “How can you both speak our language now? Earlier, I know you couldn’t understand me.”

 

     The man and woman both looked at each other and shared what seemed like a grin. A mildly sinister grin. The man looked at Will intently and said, “Breath.”

 

     Will didn’t know what that meant, but jotted it down in his notes to think about later. “Now that you’ve both rested, do you want us to take you back home?”

 

     Dark looks passed over their faces, and Will could feel the sharp accusation in their eyes again. It made him want to hang his head in shame.

 

     The man growled lowly, “We have no home anymore.”

 

***

 

     When Helen entered her office in the morning it was to find Tesla still poring over the scrolls on her desk. He obviously hadn’t slept the night previous, but infuriatingly showed no signs of exhaustion. He was scribbling notes in his own illegible script, sipping on yet another glass of wine.

 

     “You’ll drink me out of my home. What have you found?”

 

     Nikola passed the second scroll towards her. “There’s still too many ciphers on the first scroll I can’t find any context for, but this one’s been easier to translate. These seem to be records of an ancient city. And I don’t think it’s actually El Dorado.”

 

     Helen looked at the pictures on the scroll, as Nikola slowly went through the script, patching together the sentences he could.

 _“…many have fallen…those who are true and not true…to reverse the tides of time…one salvation remains…the silver lady’s breath…sacrifice…those chosen as worthy can find the lost…”_

 

     Helen’s eyes excitedly scanned over the pictographs. “Find the lost… what?” Nikola smirked, spreading his hands wide. “That’s the joy of a mystery. I have a theory though.”

 

     He brought out all three scrolls, pointing to various pictographs on each. “Every single one of these has some mention of vampires. Your unwelcome guest recognized me the other night. These two come from an ancient civilization that once must have been in contact with _sanguine vampirus_.”

 

     Helen nodded her agreement, that much seemed clear. She could tell Tesla wasn’t done however, his excitement was creeping into his voice and he had that gleam in his eye, which Helen knew always ended in trouble.

 

     “Or… they might be descendants of _sanguine vampirus_. A different clan perhaps, with a different civilization, way of life, history than those we encountered in Ancient Egypt. Their Aztec cousins. They escaped sterilization being in a different part of the world and evolved into those two we find today.”

 

     Helen exhaled heavily, everything Nikola was saying was possible and the implications were extraordinary. “The evolutionary product of _sanguine vampirus_ …” She suddenly snapped up to look at Nikola, her mind racing a hundred miles an hour as to what this information meant to him. “I don’t know what you’re planning, Nikola… but I think I can safely say already that I don’t approve.”

 

     Nikola laughed airily, making only a half-hearted attempt to quell her suspicions. “What is there to plan at the moment? Right now is the beautiful moment of true discovery, which is something we are allowed to relish less and less as time progresses.”

 

     Helen would not be put off. “We still don’t know what they are, or what these mean exactly. I wouldn’t be planning any family reunions prematurely if I were you.”

 

     “But where else can I wear an ugly Christmas sweater?”

 

     Helen sighed and snatched the half-empty bottle of wine he was reaching for, staring sternly at his pout as she corked it. “When have you ever been one to respect convention? Especially with drinking wine at ten in the morning.”

 

     He sprawled back in her chair languidly, his lopsided smirk baring just a hint of his canines. “I’m obviously trying to get drunk so you can take advantage of me.”

 

     Helen chuckled and shook her head. “No chance,” She said as she picked up her notebooks and made her way to the door. She paused and quirked an eyebrow at him. “Did you want to come with me to say good morning to our guests?”

 

***

 

     Helen felt slightly unnerved by the two new abnormals in her lab. They were cooperative, and seemed as if they didn’t meant to cause any more harm, but she could still feel hatred emanating from them. They allowed her to take samples and run tests on them, docile as house-cats, but there was always a current of tension running through their bodies as if they could strike out at any moment. And she wondered why they didn’t openly seek retribution when she and Will had effectively, if unknowingly, destroyed their ancestral home?

 

     Nikola had been particularly fascinated by them, but Helen convinced him to stay out of sight and observe them only from the cameras in the inner part of the laboratory. He incessantly read the test results over her shoulder, however, always grinning in satisfaction at something but refusing to tell Helen what had pleased him so.

 

     “Fascinating…” He muttered for the twentieth time that hour, as if it were a secret to himself that he couldn’t help announcing that he had. Helen irritably flicked him away from her line of sight, examining the data for herself.

 

     “Their blood does resemble ours… it has vampiric DNA in it.” She observed.

 

     “And yet it holds new strains and some remarkably subtle differences from true _sanguine vampirus_.”

 

     Helen sat back in her chair, her mind reeling at the information they were seeing. “It looks as if you were right, Nikola.”

 

     “Oh do try and mask some of the surprise in your voice.”

 

***

 

     “Here you go, guys.” Henry came over with a tray laden with cups of different juices and broths. The two new abnormals had indicated no interest in solid food yet, so he had tried to come up with some diet that would appeal to them. It hadn’t helped that they had stone-faced him when he tried to ask about their dietary needs… and the fact that it was very hard to remember to always look them in the eye and not lower…

 

     They certainly spooked him a little, with their incredibly fluid movements and talent for stillness. The werewolf in him also couldn’t help but prickle at sensing something very _other_ that was also a potential threat. But they smiled languidly at him, the female in particular, and as he leant over to set down their trays, her long, slender fingers snaked out and touched his collar.

 

     Henry felt his breath catch in his throat, as he watched her fingers rub at the material and the curiosity and pleasure flickering through her eyes as she reveled in the sensation. So close to her, it was hard to keep his eyes trained at her face and not skirt down to her naked breasts.

 

     “What is this called?” She purred. Henry choked and finally managed to stammer, “F-f-flannel.”

 

     He could see her nostrils twitch as she leant into his neck and picked up his scent. What he didn’t realize, frozen to the spot, was that a thin mist seemed to be leaking out of his mouth that she began to drank in.

 

     “Henry…” She purred into his ear. He gulped and nodded. “That’s my name.”

 

     She leant back a little bit so she could look into his eyes. “Hunger. Fear. A darkness inside of you. A love for intricacy. Not human. Virile.”

 

     Henry’s brain was reeling at what she was saying, and he choked again when he processed the last word she uttered. “H-how did you know?” He felt hypnotized and like he had been rooted to the spot.

 

     She smiled demurely instead and leant back into her tank of water. The man followed suit and soon they were both still and motionless, ignoring the entire world around them. Shaking, and grateful that the experience was over, Henry rushed out of the room and fled back to his computers. He’d leave dealing with them to the Big Guy next time.

 

***

 

     “I hope you forgive some of our misunderstandings. As you know, I’m Doctor Helen Magnus. And I just realized a grave oversight on my part, that I do not as of yet know any of your names.”

 

     The pale man and woman looked at each other, a hint of confusion, as if consulting each other on the meaning of what she had said. Finally the man looked to her. “We have no names.”

 

     Helen was slightly taken aback, but did not let it show on her face. Her smile remained warm and friendly. “Well, there must be something we can call you.”

 

     The man somberly intoned, “We will know when you call us.” Helen nodded defeat, it seemed some things were lost in translation. She couldn’t exactly call them Thing One and Thing Two, but she’d come up with something.

 

     “As you know, this place is called the Sanctuary. It’s a safe house for Abnormals, to live away from being hunted and feared. If you two wish, you can stay here as residents. Or if you prefer, we can put you in touch with the Sanctuary back in the country you came from.” Helen hoped that she hadn’t gone over their heads, it was still best to stick to simple conversation due to the language barrier. They looked at each other, she suspected they could communicate telepathically…or perhaps they had an advanced form of facial communication.

 

     “You house… many beings here.” The woman finally said. From the brief flash of anger in her eyes, Helen knew she was intimating Nikola. Helen nodded slowly. “Yes, we do. I’m afraid that there is not much we know about you. This is also a place of learning. We would like to learn from you, about your ways, your culture, your history…”

 

     The man spoke this time, in hushed tones. “You already know of the Family. It is enough.”

 

     “The Family… do you mean vampires?” Helen hoped that would get her somewhere, even if an upset reaction, but they stared blankly back at her and she realized “vampire” was a word they had never used and didn’t know. “The Family” seemed to be their term for it… but it had so many implications that she could only guess at without further elaboration.

 

     She tried her luck. “Those scrolls that we found in the temple…” The pale man quickly shook his head, discouraging her from continuing. “If you are worthy of them, you will know them.”

 

     “What was lost?”

 

     But the pale pair shook their heads and fell silent, and Helen could not encourage them to speak further on the matter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tesla's idea of experimenting. And trouble at the Sanctuary.

FOUR

***

 

         A couple weeks had passed and the two abnormals, for lack of anything better the Sanctuary team called them the “pale pair” behind their backs, had started to acquaint themselves with the rest of the old house. Helen had procured very light, linen garments for them that were loose enough that they did not feel disturbed by them.

 

         Their behaviour was fascinating. While stimuli that was too intense or aggressive made them highly uncomfortable and they avoided (“ _turn down your music, Henry!_ ”), they still actively sought out sensation. From her tests, the brain scans most telling, Helen had discovered that compared to a humans’, the pale pair’s sensory channels were blasted right open. They had no psychic abilities, so her guess of a complex facial language was correct. The parts of their brain that processed pain and pleasure were also drastically enlarged. For all of their somber manners, it sometimes made for comical moments to find them gravely rubbing their faces on her curtains, humming quietly on the floor in her library to hear the acoustics, or fleeing quickly through her garden to escape the assault of various floral perfumes.

 

         Tesla had taken over deciphering the scrolls for her, as she rarely had any free time to devote to them, and annoyingly he had set up camp in her office. She was too busy to make the effort to eject him, however, and gave in and ordered large shipments of wine to restock her cellar again. She knew that he was up to something, that mind of his never stopped plotting… but so far he was so engrossed with the scripts that she decided he’d be distracted enough to stay out of trouble for a little while.

 

         He was making one of his regular trips to the wine cellar when he ran into one of the pale pair. The woman had been attracted to the smell of dust and musk that emanated from the cellar, and was engrossed in running her fingers lightly over the glass bottles. He crept in quietly, applauded himself mentally when he realized even her heightened senses hadn’t heard him enter, and observed her quietly for a moment.

 

         Something must have given him away however, as her head sharply turned to face him. He caught a flash of fear on her face, but her expression cooled just as suddenly, and he graced her with a smirk. “I can hear your heart beat.”

 

         Her fingertips were still dancing over the cool glass bottles, but she gazed at him interestedly now. “As I yours… though faintly, I admit.”

 

         He strode over towards her, noting her slight apprehension as he drew closer. “I wonder why that is… you seem to perceive everyone else here with such acuity.”

 

         She gave him a half-smirk now, wary of some betrayal. “You are of the Family.”

 

         “The pair of you seem to like saying that a lot. But what does it mean exactly?”

 

         She just smiled back humouringly and fell silent. Nikola shamelessly admired the discreet view of her breasts through the thin material of her clothing, and then turned his attention to the wine bottles. He pointed dismissively to a shelf above her. “Here, bring down two glasses.”

 

         He picked out a nicely aged Montrachet as she brought over two glasses. He quickly blew the dust away from their rims, and uncorked the bottle with his teeth. As he poured a generous measure in their glasses he asked her, “Have you ever had wine?” She shook her head, her eyes lighting up at the colour of the wine, entranced. He carefully handed her a glass and held his up in a toast. “To your health.”

 

         He sipped at his glass, eyes closing for a second in bliss at the warm flavour on his tongue, and then nodded encouragingly towards her. She carefully brought the glass to her lips, the tip of her tongue snaking out first to catch a drop of the wine. The look of her surprise that registered on her face was comical, but he kept himself from laughing, not wanting to spook her. She sipped more generously, the wine staining her lips.

 

         “Tell me… what does it taste like to you?”

 

         She took a long time to answer, reveling in the new tastes. “Warm… sour and sweet. Fruit. A tang. A prickle in my throat. A warm feeling settling in my stomach.”

 

         “Lightweight,” He laughed, but she ignored him and drank more, eager for the novelty. Her eyelids flickered as she took in the wine, its scent, its flavour, and its texture. The look of pleasure and curiosity on her face was so naked it was almost shameless.

 

         Tesla laughed again, “Sybarite.”

 

***

 

         Although in Helen’s opinion, the term was a bit crass, the name had stuck. The pale pair were being referred to more and more frequently as the Sybarites by the Sanctuary team, and she had finally given in and started noting them as such in her documents. It wasn’t too bad a fit, they were sensory creatures with their communications and expressions intricately connected to sensation and pleasure. After their introduction to wine, Will had successfully navigated them through various different types of foodstuffs, which they both marveled at. It seemed they had finally found a way in which to entice them to eat regularly.

 

         Further translation of the temple scrolls revealed a bit more of their identity. No indigenous human culture proved to be the bearer of the language, but there were close enough resemblances to Aztec glyphs. It did emphasize the point, however, that the city and the temple were obviously constructed by a civilization of Abnormals, somehow untouched and isolated from humans by the depths of the jungle.

 

         What their true connection to vampires was still uncertain… there was no mention of them in any of the ancient _sanguine_ texts, but considering the geographical location they hadn’t even known vampires had existed in South America that long ago. And they remained tight-lipped on the subject merely repeating that if she were worthy, she would come to know.

 

         Tesla was becoming obnoxiously satisfied with himself as the weeks passed, performing little clandestine experiments of his own and beginning to view them as his pet project. She had tried to discourage him but he was insufferable, and with something so capturing his fascination right there in the Sanctuary, it was also impossible to get him to leave.

 

         “Doc.” It was Helen’s radio. “It’s Kate, I need two hundred thousand dollars.”

 

         Helen picked up her radio. “Do I need to bail you out of prison?” She heard the static laugh on the other line. “Nope, but I found someone selling some information that might help you crack those temple scrolls.” Helen’s ears perked up and she said, “I’m listening.”

 

         “I tracked down someone who has the journal of a Spanish explorer from the 1600’s who apparently ran into this ancient vamp city and kept records. I’ve checked it out and it’s not a fake. The seller’s incredibly paranoid though, so I have to go pick it up in person.”

 

         Helen could feel her heart pound in excitement. “I’m in. I’d like to meet this person. I’ll bring the car round in ten minutes.” She could hear Kate whoop victoriously over the line, and quickly gathered her things. This was not an opportunity to be missed.

 

         If Helen knew all the things that could, and were to go horribly wrong in her absence, she would have never left.

 

***

 

         Nikola had been slowly trying to win the female Sybarite over to his side for a few weeks. Her fear and animosity intrigued him, especially as it seemed as if she could not openly oppose him. He was sure that it had something to do with their linked ancestry, but he still couldn’t fathom what. So there she was, a _very_ beautiful, intellectual puzzle.

 

         And she _was_ beautiful. He could tell that he wasn’t the only admirer of her charms. While Will was able to maintain a friendly professionalism, the wolf mutt always dropped three things in her presence and sweated enough hormones to choke a rat. Their perky little gunslinger seemed quite taken with the male Sybarite too, taking care to be his personal tour guide to everything Sanctuary in the lowest-cut tops they sold at Hot Topic.

 

         Nikola was very forward in his manner towards them, a part of him reveling in the way they shrank away from him, but was more than content to sit back and play observer when they exhibited behavior completely native to themselves. He often found them stroking themselves, occasionally each other, in very sensitive areas that would make Helen blush, but not exclusive to just the usual erogenous zones. They were fascinated by every inch of their skin, and while their touch was sometimes sexual, all of it for pleasure certainly, there was still something oddly sex-less and passion-less about it.

 

         Still, it made for a hell of a free show. If Helen knew the sordid enjoyment he was getting discreetly from her guests she would probably shoot him until he fell over.

 

         But ever that question remained most fervent in his mind as to their shared origins. And it was that persistent question tickling his mind that night as he watched the female Sybarite brushing her hair. She was enjoying the texture and the way it made her scalp prickle, seated by the mirror in her room, and he sipped his wine patiently seated at the couch by the door. Helen had left with Kate to pick up an important artifact, Henry was busy with the weekly defragmenting of the system’s mainframes, the Sasquatch was occupying himself somewhere and Will was out with a friend. And Nikola Tesla was never the man to let an opportunity slip by.

 

         “Come here,” He intoned softly. She gazed up at him, out of curiosity more than anything, and approached slowly. He motioned genially for her to sit in the couch beside him and observed her intensely behind hooded eyes.

 

         “What does my heart beat sound like to you?” She was surprised by the question, but obediently closed her eyes and listened. Slowly she said, “It is slow. It is almost impossible to hear. It is like you are dead.”

 

         The tip of his tongue skimmed over his bottom lip, his own heightened senses picking up certain nuances from her only a vampire could appreciate. She intoned softly at last, “It is beating quicker.”

 

         He leaned towards her, his lips almost brushing against her hair. “Can you smell my blood?” She shook her head slowly, he was surprised but mentally catalogued it for later. His breath was a warm whisper against her skin. “I can smell yours… it is sweet… warm… _alive_.”

 

         She shivered with anticipation, his body was tense as a spring. He wondered if he was pushing too far… but he had to know. “I want to know what your blood tastes like.”

 

         She looked at him, as if not surprised at his request. It caught him off guard, but the shiver of excitement took over. She placed a finger in her mouth and bit down sharply with one of her pointed canines and then offered the glistening, crimson tip to him. His nose was immediately bathed in the aroma of it, so much lighter than a human’s… Scarcely believing she was actually acquiescing, he slowly drew forward, maintaining eye contact, but seeing no rejection, he let his tongue snake out and delicately press against the fingertip.

 

         What he tasted was a heady explosion he had never experienced from drinking human blood, the few times he had intentionally or unwittingly. It sang fire through his veins and made his back curl in exquisite novelty. And yes, there was a familiarity to the taste too.

 

         Something passed over her eyes, and from her body language he could tell she was feeling bolder. He forced himself back to lucidity from the sudden drunken rush, and she looked at her finger. “I’d like to taste it too.”

 

         Instead of pressing it to her own lips as he had imagined, she delicately smeared the blood onto his, for once shocking him into stillness. She then pulled him in closer and kissed him slowly, lingering over the blood on his bottom lip. Nikola thought there were few things better than good sex, scientific success or an electrical storm, but this came close. Arousal peaked through his body, but from what he had seen, he was unsure if this was an invitation on her part or merely clinical experimentation.

 

         She finally drew away, her eyes glazed with pleasure. “I would like to taste you.” Nikola felt a throaty laugh somewhere deep in his chest and said, “You can go in for more. I don’t care if you bite.” But she shook her head, not wanting to taste his blood, but instead pushed his head back lightly, his throat exposed. He could feel hot air gushing from her nose as she examined him, traveling upwards, and then her mouth hovered over his parted lips. Instead of kissing him again, he suddenly realized there was something escaping from his mouth. It looked like thin, silvery fog, the same that had come out of Kate the first night the Sybarite had shown up. His curiosity instantly took over his otherwise base urgings. This was an ability… this was something they had never seen before. What was it? A way to communicate? A way to feed?

 

         He watched her drink it in inquisitively, and slowly started to feel as if someone were squeezing his windpipe. His eyes widened in alarm, unsure of how much she would take, and how to make her stop. Just as he was about to panic, she drew away and the mist faded. He felt his chest relaxing and breathing becoming easier again.

 

         “What were you tasting?”

 

         She smiled demurely, still enjoying whatever heady sensation she was experiencing. “Your breath.”

 

         “What did it taste like?”

 

         She laughed. “Wine.”

 

***

 

 

         “Some more tea?” Helen asked, holding up an elegant china teapot. “Why thank you, doctor.” Kate held out her cup, amused at playing dower English ladies. Although the so called polite ladies had come armed to the teeth and with two hundred thousand dollars in international bonds stowed away in a protective case.

 

         “Forgive my tardiness.”

 

         Helen looked up and froze at the tall man who seated himself at their table. A long scar seamed the right side of his face and distracted from the rather pleasant smile he had.

 

         “John,” Helen said tensely. Kate was far from amused. She leant over the table and hissed, “Right now is not the time for a chocolate and flowers reunion, buddy. We’re here on a business trip.”

 

         “And I’m the business,” Druitt said unfazed, and pulled a battered leather-bound journal from his inner coat pocket. He placed it on the table and slid it towards Helen. She snatched it up quickly, trying not to let her eagerness show. “How did you get this?”

 

         “I persuaded the seller to part with it.”

 

         Helen looked up sharply. “John…” He chuckled and said, “No, it’s not what you think. Look, no blood on my hands.” He held them up for inspection with a gentle, mocking grin.

 

         “How much?” Kate asked, still distrusting. John shook his head. “A gift, no charge.” Kate rolled her eyes and grunted in exasperation. “I do _not_ like the grief of carrying around so much heat for nothing.”

 

         “Calm down there, killer.” John’s voice rose slightly. He was beginning to feel offended by the less than welcoming reception.

 

         “Stop it, the both of you.” Helen sighed at the hot-tempered pair as she dug around for her chirping mobile phone. “Magnus.” Her face suddenly dropped and she quickly hung up. Her look of alarm startled Kate and Druitt to stop their bickering.

         “We have to go back to the Sanctuary.”

 

         “What is it?” John asked, concerned.

 

         “Tesla.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter warrants the M rating for some violence and gore.

FIVE

***

 

         For once, Tesla had finally fallen asleep. He normally needed very few hours to function, but with the past few days of excitement over the scrolls and the Sybarites he had neglected the exercise altogether. The Sandman had finally caught him in his dark embrace and, exhausted, he lay prone in one of Helen’s comfier chairs.

 

         All but dead to the world, he didn’t notice the figure of a pale man creep out from the shadows of the room. It was late at night and the moon hung fat in the sky. Crouched, the pale man lifted his head towards the stream of silver light, as if comforted by its touch, before returning his gaze to Tesla. Cold fury shone from his near black eyes, his long fingers tensing into claws. He stood, naked so as to be silent, for ten minutes in front of the sleeping Tesla, observing him closely and patiently waiting to strike.

 

         Moving sinuously, he finally crept right up to Tesla. With a gentle touch he encouraged Tesla’s lips to part. The sleeping man did not even stir under the gentle ministrations and the Sybarite smiled cruelly.

 

         The Sybarite parted his own mouth and moved it close to Tesla’s. A silvery fog began to unfurl from Tesla’s mouth, the Sybarite twirling a finger through it as if to coax it out further. When a steady stream began to flow, the Sybarite’s body tensed and it gripped Tesla’s head, latching his mouth over the sleeping man’s.

 

         Tesla woke suddenly with the feeling that an iron fist had his lungs in a vice-grip and he was being torn apart. He felt a heavy presence crushing him, and with adrenaline kicking into high gear, he transformed in an instant and with superhuman effort pushed the malevolent force away from him.

 

         Black blossoms threatened to fill his vision and snarling he tried to shake them away. His chest still felt collapsed, and he saw the male Sybarite crumpled on the floor, struggling to get up. Tesla saw red at the audacity the whelp had to attack him, and over the genuine fear he had felt.

 

         “You’re _really_ going to regret that.” Tesla’s claws gleamed in the moonlight, and his fully black eyes were blazing. His voice was human no longer. “Let’s get something straight, buddy. _She_ kissed me _first_.”

 

         The Sybarite had gotten to his knees and snarled back at the incredibly pissed off vampire ready to wring his neck. Nikola bolted over to him with incredible speed and slashed him with his claws. His chest screamed in protest, still injured, and to his dismay Nikola staggered. The Sybarite had ugly gashes opened on his face and was obviously in a lot of pain as well, but with grim determination he pushed Tesla back. Nikola felt an acidic chuckle rise in the back of his throat, but it stabbed in his chest. His blood was pumping hotly through him and he was blinded with kill-rage, but his chest still felt like it was cracked in two and he was finding it hard to breathe.

 

         He reached for the Sybarite, his claws closing tight around its throat. The Sybarite struggled, he was still weaker than Nikola, but he was coaxing more of the silver fog from Tesla’s mouth and sucking it in. Furious, feeling like something was being stolen from him and that his chest was tightening more, Tesla slammed the Sybarite’s head against the wall. The Sybarite’s teeth rattled in his head and he spat out pink spittle. Nikola grinned savagely, closing in for the kill, when he noticed the Sybarite’s arms lunge forward and felt something impact his gut.

 

         His surprise allowed the Sybarite to claw his way out of Nikola’s grip. The little bastard had grabbed an iron poker from the fireplace and shoved it through Tesla’s stomach.

 

         “ _Ow_.”

 

         But before Tesla could react, the Sybarite had planted a foot on his stomach and shoved him off the poker. The Sybarite swung with the poker and Tesla parried a few blows, but received a crippling hit to his chest. Falling to his knees, Tesla choked out a strangled scream of fury. _What had that little bastard done to him?_ It was as if Tesla was being suffocated and couldn’t catch his breath back.

 

         The poker slammed into his head and he fell to the floor. The Sybarite viciously stabbed the poker into his chest again and again. Weakened, each blow sent massive waves of pain through him and blood bubbled up from his throat. The Sybarite glared down at him, his pale naked body sprayed with dark red, and then planted the poker into Nikola’s throat, pinning him to the floor.

 

         Nikola slipped into true darkness and was suddenly gripped with a long forgotten fear…that he was dying.

 

***

 

         Henry woke up with a start, wincing as he felt an indent in his forehead. Bemused, he saw a string of “kkkkkkk”s on the screen in front of him and rubbed his sore brow.

 

         He glanced over, bored, at the security feed and nearly fell out of his chair. Panicked, he dialed Magnus and found he could only stammer, “I think Tesla’s dead.”

 

***

 

         Helen appeared in front of he Sanctuary doors in a flash of orange light. Druitt could only take them so far as Henry had the EM shields active. Helen, Druitt and Kate burst through the doors and ran up the stairs, catching up to Big Guy along the way.

 

         When they came into her office, the first thing Helen noticed was the suffocating smell of blood. It nearly covered her entire floor and she had to walk across a pool of it. She had seen many grisly things in her life, but the sight of Nikola pinned through the throat made her gag.

 

         “Come on, John. Over here.” She immediately assumed command, instructing John to hold down Nikola’s shoulders and head, as Big Guy gripped the poker and grimly tried to pull it free. She winced when he had to wriggle it around a little, but finally it came loose.

 

         “Oh Nikola…” She was shocked at the extensive amount of trauma he had received.

 

         A grave, slightly sick look was on John’s face. Despite their rivalry and frequent hatred for each other, they still shared a deep bond as did all in the Five. “Is he dead?”

 

         Kate’s voice was hushed. “But can’t he just … heal himself? I’ve seen him take a full automatic clip to the head and shake it off.”

 

         Helen was doing her best to inspect him through all the blood and mangled flesh. His eyes were closed and he was icy to the touch. His vampiric features had faded and he just looked small and still. She inspected his chest and saw a flicker of hope. The outer ring of his entry wounds were very mildly beginning to scar.

 

         “He’s alive. But I think he’s too weak to heal fast enough. We may still lose him. Big Guy, I need you to grab me a stretcher and as many packs of plasma you can carry.” The Big Guy nodded sharply and ran quickly out of the room. He grabbed Kate’s wrist and with a quick “you’ll help” they vanished.

 

         Helen quickly started rolling up her left sleeve and fished around for a knife. John’s eyes widened in alarm. “What are you doing?”

 

         “He’s a vampire, he needs blood. I don’t think our packs of synthesized animal plasma are going to do the trick. And I have traces of the original source blood.”

 

         “As do I.” Druitt spoke in a tone that sounded almost offended that she hadn’t considered him, and he began to roll up his sleeve as well.

 

         “John, it’s fine. I’ll do it.”

 

         “Helen, I—”

 

         “It’s better if I do it, John,” Helen snapped, instantly regretting that she had done so. John’s face hardened, though his anger was not directed at her. “You don’t trust me.”

 

         Helen bowed her head, pleading. “John, no…”

 

         “You think I’ll taint him.” Druitt rose to his feet, and stalked out of the room. “ _He’s already tainted_.”

 

         Blinking back angry tears and a frustrated scream, Helen concentrated on the task at hand. She bound Nikola’s throat in some makeshift bandages as tightly as she could, and then with a swift movement of her knife, opened her wrist.

 

         “Please let this work” she thought as she held her wrist above his mouth and watched fat drops of her blood fall into his mouth. How was he supposed to swallow? Would it seep through? For good measure she dripped some blood over his wounds as well.

 

         Big Guy and Kate soon arrived with a stretcher and a large box of supplies. Helen motioned for them to wait a moment, and thoughtfully Big Guy positioned some cushions around her.

 

         After what seemed like an eternity of silent praying, Nikola began to stir. His mouth opened in a silent scream and Helen bit back hot, unshed tears. She coaxed more drops of blood into his mouth. His throat moved painfully, but he was stirring more. She lifted him gently and cradled him against her, holding her wrist to his mouth. Weak, he burned with hunger and she had to tell herself not to wince when the points of his fangs closed around her. He seemed to sense who she was though, and the fangs retracted. He sucked as gently on the life-giving source as he could, somehow aware enough to not want to harm her even on the brink of death.

 

         She checked the wounds on his chest and saw that they were beginning to close up. With soothing tones she gently pulled her wrist away from him. He hesitated at first, but let go without a struggle. The Big Guy was instantly ready and wrapped her wrist before carrying Nikola in his arms and lying him down on the stretcher.

 

         “Use two IV’s and stick some packs in him now. Have the operation table on standby. I’ll see you in ten minutes.” The Big Guy nodded and quickly prepared Tesla before wheeling him away.

 

         Helen tried to stand up but felt dizzy. Kate shook her head at her sternly and gently pushed her back onto the cushions. “You just gave blood, doc. You’re supposed to get cookies and juice now.” Helen smiled wryly and gratefully accepted the bottle of orange juice Kate pressed into her hand.

 

         Now, finally having a moment to think and not react, one question burned in her mind. Just what the hell had happened?

 

***

 

         It was touch and go throughout the night. Helen actually had to stitch up some of the torn muscles in his throat because they weren’t healing fast enough. They kept two plasmas in him at all times, and desperate, Helen injected him with a vial of her blood again. Eventually, his skin began to knit back together and he was regaining his hold on lucidity.

 

         The first thing he croaked was, “I’m going to _kill_ that sonofabitch,” before falling back onto the hospital bed.

 

         Helen felt a tired giggle rise in her throat and knew they were finally in the clear. It truly was astonishingly difficult to kill Nikola Tesla.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confined to sickbed. And pigeons.

SIX

***

 

         Helen thought he looked rather sad and diminished lying in his sick bed. Nikola was always a figure of animated energy, and being ordered not to move ill-suited him. He still had bandages around his throat and looked forlornly out his window.

 

         “Breakfast.” Nikola looked up to see the two plasma packs Helen had brought with her. “Oh joy,” he muttered, but hungrily ripped the seal off one and drank.

 

         “Cheer up, you. I brought you something.”

 

         “Is it wine?”

 

         Helen reached by the side of his bed and instead brought forth a small cage with a pigeon inside. Though he tried to hide it, she could see his eyes light up like a little boy’s. Nikola had always had a strange fondness for those birds.

 

         “My dear, you know me too well. It’s as if we’ve never been apart.” He sucked his plasma pack dry and opened the cage, gently coaxing the bird inside to his hands. “Speaking of, you taste _great_ for two hundred.”

 

         Helen laughed. “One hundred and _fifty-eight_.”

 

         Nikola scoffed, his hands gently cupped around the cooing bird. “Women. Always lying about their age.” He was too weak and tired to keep up much of a façade though. His grin was too unabashed as he got acquainted with his new friend.

 

         “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Nikola. Can you think of any reason _why_ it did?”

 

         “First off, Helen – don’t apologize. Secondly, I can think of a dozen reasons why it happened but the pertinent matter is … our new guests are quite a lot more than they seem. And far from harmless.”

 

         Helen gravely nodded her agreement, then looked pointedly at his second plasma pack. Reluctantly, he placed the pigeon carefully back into its cage, promising to fuss over it later, and ripped the seal of the second pack. He drank slowly.

 

         “How did you get to me so quickly?”

 

         Helen’s gaze looked far away. “Ran into John.”

 

         “Druitt? Trust him not to stick around for a funeral.” Nikola sucked up more plasma with slight distaste, then noticed the expression on Helen’s face. He reached out for her hand thoughtfully and gave it a squeeze. “The Five don’t break up that easily, darling.”

 

         She scoffed a little, without mirth. “More like the Three now.” Nikola squeezed her hand tighter and she looked up, suddenly realizing how intense his gaze was.

 

         “We were always the hardest to break.”

 

***

 

         “Doc? I think you better come see this?”

 

         After the previous night’s incident, Helen had Henry and the Big Guy place the Sybarites into locked chambers and from all accounts it seemed like they were peaceful once more. Seeing as she had other things occupying her, she decided their little “chat” could wait until the morning. She hadn’t expected more excitement already.

 

         The male Sybarite was incredibly distressed and for once the pair were communicating verbally, though in a language Helen did not understand. It seemed like he vacillated between screaming furiously at the female and then pleading with her. She seemed to be in no danger, but her remarks seemed much more cold and cutting.

 

         Still… Helen wasn’t going to take any chances. “Separate them immediately! Sedate the male.”

 

         The Big Guy wasted no time in entering the chamber with a tranquilizer gun and shooting the male Sybarite. A look of surprise registered on his face before he fell to the ground, knocked out cold. He gingerly took the female Sybarite’s hand, as she seemed upset by what was happening, and led her out of the chamber to a chair. Helen gave the Big Guy a look that told him to stand by with the tranquilizer just in case, and then seated herself beside the female Sybarite.

 

         “Are you all right?” The female nodded gravely. Helen gave her a look over and confirmed she was untouched. “What were you two arguing about?” The female Sybarite didn’t understand and Helen tried again. “What were you two fighting about?”

 

         A dark look passed over the female’s eyes, and her head lowered slightly in shame. “Duty.” Helen didn’t understand, but realized it was a large admission on the Sybarite’s part. She waited a moment and pressed gently again. “Are you two mates?”

 

         The female Sybarite shook her head and struggled to find the right words. “Not mates but together. Partners…in duty.”

 

         “What is your duty?”

 

         The female Sybarite considered her coldly, and then uttered a word in her own native tongue. Helen severely wished she had some king of babel fish that she could understand them, but unfortunately that particular creature purely was a work of fiction. “Do you know anything about what happened last night?”

 

         “The Family was attacked.”

 

         “Do you know why?”

 

         The female Sybarite looked at Helen searchingly now, as if warring with herself with how much to reveal. It had been an uphill struggle with the pair to get any kind of information about them, but their treatment at the Sanctuary must have afforded Helen some level of trust. “Different duties. Different callings. Sometimes without understanding the other.”

 

         Helen nodded, feeling grateful. While the Sybarite’s words were cryptic, it was giving her more clues than she had in any previous conversation with them. Perhaps they were the same species of abnormal, but in different castes of their society. They worked together, but their working roles differed in a way. Was he a warrior caste then? Some type of fighter? What did that mean her place was?

 

         “Thank you. Would you like to return to your room?” The female Sybarite nodded, and Helen motioned for the Big Guy to escort her back. Helen then looked towards the unconscious male Sybarite, her mouth twisting in a frown. Would he be as open with her as his female counterpart had?

 

***

 

         “I guess vermin attract vermin.”

 

         Nikola looked up in surprise, and his eyes immediately darkened. John Druitt sat on the foot of his bed, watching amusedly as Nikola was feeding his pigeon. He shrugged and continued to encourage the bird to eat seed from his hand, ignoring Druitt. “I suppose you would know best.”

 

         “Brings back fond memories, doesn’t it? Exchanging barbs on your sick bed?”

 

         “Yes, and for once it’s not your fault. Must be a novelty to hear those exact words.”

 

         John had come to check in on Nikola, unbeknownst to Helen, genuinely out of curiosity for the other man’s condition. It was a complicated relationship however, burning with too many unforgiveable deeds on both ends for either party to truly like the other. “Fed, clothed and given amusements like a good little lap dog as always.”

 

         A warning growl rumbled in Nikola’s throat. He ignored the painful burning sensation it caused, and his pigeon was spooked and fluttered to the other side of the room. Druitt held up his hands in a sign of peace as he noticed Nikola tensing. “Calm down, old friend. I suppose Helen wouldn’t forgive me if I aggravated your condition.”

 

         “It would be the least of a plethora of misdeeds on your end. Tell me, when she looks at you does she still hear the screams of all the women you slaughtered echoing in her mind? A flash of fear when she thinks it might be her next?”

 

         John trembled as he stood up from the bed. It took all of his self-control to keep his temper in check and he murmured quietly, “I would never hurt her…”

 

         Nikola grinned back, but it was more akin to an animal baring its teeth. “Too late on that account, old friend. You were always the one who hurt her most.” John’s hand was around his throat in a flash, though still not daring to squeeze. Nikola’s eyes had gone entirely black, his teeth lengthening. John tilted his head, a cruel smile on his lips. “Aren’t you the least bit afraid I’ll kill you?”

 

         “I know I would return the favour given half the chance out of sheer boredom.”

 

John clicked his tongue, shaking his head amusedly as if at a small child. “Jealousy, jealousy.” He withdrew, his hand back down at his side.

 

Nikola’s face faded back to normal, but still with a sneering grin. “No… old habits just die hard.”

 

         John turned, making his way out of the room. “Is that what she is then? An old habit?” Before Nikola could retort he had vanished in a flash of orange light. Forcing himself to control his quickened breathing, Nikola fumed and swore he’d cuff the werewolf into a wall for forgetting to put up the EM shields again.

 

***

 

         The male Sybarite was finally beginning to wake. He found himself alone in the glass enclosure, and a low keening sound tore its way out of his throat as if he were mourning.

 

         Helen was disturbed by the sound, but she was too angry to be moved by pity. “Care to tell me why you’ve been attacking people in the Sanctuary?”

 

         The male Sybarite looked up and growled. “He is no _person_.”

 

         “What is the Family? What does it mean exactly? Does it only mean vampires?”

 

         The Sybarite turned his back to her to face the wall. Helen could feel her voice tensing with anger. “Here in the Sanctuary we maintain a safe haven… one of peace. You broke that. I’m afraid if you can’t properly explain your actions, you’ll have to stay locked up. I can’t risk anyone else.”

 

         “No one else is at risk…”

 

         “Then why only Tesla? Would you attack any another vampire?”

 

         The Sybarite slowly turned, a question on his face. “There are more of the Family?”

 

         Helen was slightly taken aback, but did not want to reveal everything to the Sybarite. Instead she curtly said, “I don’t know who you are, where you come from or anything of your past. Let alone some lifelong thirst for revenge you might have, but trust me – there is no justice in attacking people who haven’t even proved their worth to you.”

 

         The Sybarite chuckled bitterly instead and laid his head against the wall. “This is true… she has chosen.” She? The female Sybarite?

 

“What has she chosen?”

 

         “The Family… she has chosen to be marked by the Family.”

 

         Helen’s mind began racing. What the bloody hell did that mean? Marked by the Family? But the only one they called the Family in the Sanctuary was Nikola. She was marked by him in some way…?

 

         Helen exited the room, quickly turning away so that the Sybarite couldn’t see her beginning to tremble with anger. Whatever the hell Nikola was up to… she was going to give him the tongue-lashing of his life.


	7. Chapter 7

SEVEN

***

 

          “What _the hell_ did you do?”

 

         Nikola started, not expecting a fuming Helen Magnus to burst into his room crowing for his blood. Well, at least not so soon…

 

         “What did you do to provoke the Sybarite?” Nikola’s mouth fell open. “Helen, I’m shocked. Are you suggesting this was _my_ fault?”

 

         Helen looked at him sternly, but then cooled. “No, but I’m starting to think you’re not entirely blameless either. The Sybarite attacked you in reaction to something you did to the female.” Nikola’s eyebrows waggled suggestively, and Helen’s jaw dropped open. “You _didn’t_ …”

 

         “No, no I didn’t.” Nikola finally felt like sparing her some grief. He also didn’t fancy her not giving him a chance to finish and breaking his dinner tray over his head. “I tasted her blood. And then she tasted… I’m not sure what it was exactly, but it’s their form of a life-source. The male practically drained it all out of me when he decided I wasn’t for existing any longer.”

 

         Helen sat down heavily on the end of his bed. She could feel a severe headache creeping into her skull. “You’re a bloody fool. Always rushing into something to satisfy your curiosity without pausing to think of the consequences first.”

 

         Nikola shrugged, this wasn’t news to him. “Hello? I built an earthquake machine in downtown Manhattan. I’ll be the first person to tell you I’m impulsive.”

 

         “We don’t know anything about them. The small scraps of knowledge we’ve gathered from those scrolls open up more questions than answers. We don’t know anything about their culture or rituals… especially what seems to offend them to the point of murder,” She looked at him pointedly but he only grinned back, “so we have to be _careful_ , Nikola, of our actions. There is much that could be misunderstood.”

 

         “Obviously…” Nikola grimaced as he touched his throat ruefully. The skin had finally completely sealed over, but some of the tendons were still weak and needed another day to strengthen. “What did the male Sybarite say?”

 

         “That you had – don’t grin like that – _marked_ her somehow.” Nikola let out a delighted laugh, grinning tooth to ear. “Too late, I can’t help myself. That’s such a deliciously ticklish statement.” Helen tried to frown sternly at him, but his grin was infectious and she had to duck her head so he didn’t see the corners of her mouth twitch.

 

         “What do you think it meant to them? Do you think it has anything to do with the notion of the Sire?”

 

         Nikola shrugged. “Doubtful. Vampires can’t turn other people into vampires, and those two haven’t had Stephenie Myers’ work and other atrocities to fill their heads with silly notions. What I’m more interested in learning about is what exactly they were extracting from me.”

 

         “You’re right, it’s nothing we’ve ever encountered before. And the scrolls…” Helen’s eyes suddenly lit up. She had completely forgotten about the journal. “Wait just a moment,” She said before dashing out of the room. Nikola tried to grab her wrist but she was too fast for him. “Where are you going? I’m not allowed to run!”

 

         He was fuming by the time she returned, but instantly snapped his mouth shut on a scathing remark when he saw her flipping through the journal. “What is that?”

 

         “It’s a journal written by a Spanish explorer who encountered our Sybarites in the 1600’s.” Nikola’s jaw dropped as he eagerly took the book from her hands. His eyes positively glistened as he flipped through the pages, astonished at the find. “Helen Magnus you are an evil, deceitful, shameless woman – marry me.”

 

         “When you’re dead.”

 

         “I’m already undead.”

 

         Helen just shook her head, laughing, and then noticed the empty cage by his bedside table. She looked around the room but saw no feathers or traces of the pigeon from earlier that morning. “Where’d your bird go?”

 

         Nikola looked up, momentarily distracted from reading, but when her question registered he averted her gaze. “Flew away.”

 

***

 

         _…their society functions in a strict hierarchy that when broken is severely punished. The sanguine vampirus belong to the ruling class and the only to wear … the colour of royalty. Having snuck … archives … predating the sanguine vampire…_

Helen rubbed at her eyes tiredly, having pored over the minute and generally illegible scrawl of the explorer Vazquez, but paused at the last sentence. _Predate sanguine vampirus?_ She quickly scanned through the rest of the entry and two terms jumped out off the page.

 

         _Carniviscus vampirus._

 _Halispirus vampirus._

The implications of the entry suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. This was information that no one had ever been privy to before, and exactly what it could mean…

 

         She ran out of her office, almost dropping her stack of notes in her eagerness.

 

***

 

         “Of course my race were the ruling overlords.”

 

         “ _Focus_ , Nikola. We’ve come about this all wrong. We believed that the Sybarites were an evolutionary step after blood vampires. We were wrong. What we’re actually looking at now is the possibility that _sanguine vampirus_ is a derivation of a larger species. Like different breeds of dogs.”

 

         Nikola’s eyebrows jumped into his hairline and his voice was dangerously soft. “I’d be careful with your loose descriptions, doctor.”

 

         Helen smacked him over the head with the journal and he yelped, frowning and rubbing the back of his head furiously. She opened the journal to its appropriate page and underlined the other two vampiric species with her finger.

 

         “It says that the _halispirus vampirus_ even predated your ancestors.”

 

         “Yes, but this is the testimony of some crack Spanish explorer. What have the Spanish ever gotten right?”

 

         Helen shrugged mockingly. “Food … literature … wine.”

 

         “Okay, you got me there.”

 

         Helen sat down on the edge of his bed, her eyes skimming over the text for the umpteenth time. It was exciting, but difficult to process that everything she thought she had known about one of the most notorious species of abnormals was based on a false assumption. “ _Carniviscus vampirus_ is straightforward enough. They were flesh eaters. But what does _halispirus_ even mean?”

 

         Nikola sifted through her notes, then froze. “Breath and spirit … do you think …”

 

         Helen looked at him somberly, feeling anxiety twist her gut. It was not often Nikola treated anything completely seriously, so that was a good indication of something dire.

 

         “… the Sybarites somehow know how to drain the life out of someone through their _breath?_ Is that what they took out of me? That small bit out of Kate?”

 

         “But what could possibly be in our breath that constitutes more than excess carbon dioxide?”

 

         Nikola shook his head vigorously, eagerly tapping her pen to her stack of notes in a gesture for her to write down his thoughts. “After taking breath from Kate, and from me, their comprehension of English skyrocketed upwards. They can somehow take information _personal to us_ by stealing our breath.” A stunned look crossed his face and then a petulant gasp. “What if he’s a genius now? How much of my mind, my ideas, has he stolen from me? It’s like Edison all over again!”

 

         Helen couldn’t help but roll her eyes, a momentary distraction from writing furiously. “Trust me, Nikola, I doubt intellectual theft was on his mind at all.”

 

         “You say that like my ideas aren’t worth pilfering. That cuts, you know. That cuts deeply.”

 

         Helen silenced him with a look, before glancing back down at the journal. “Well, for right now I’m going to have to devise a way to scan their brains while they feed. I think you should take over trying to read through this journal and see if it holds any clues to what’s in the scrolls.”

 

         “Done.” Nikola eagerly took the journal away from her, looking as if he wanted to inhale the volume for all his excitement. “You know … we have a field trip in our future.”

 

         “What do you mean?”

 

         “We can find out as much as we want from these texts, but sooner or later we’re going to have to go back to that temple. And take our new friends with us.”

 

***

 

         Will held his suspicions back at bay, grateful that the Big Guy was standing by in the room just in case things got out of hand. The male Sybarite, however, seemed shamed into docility and like he wasn’t going to try anything drastic. He moved sedately in pace with Will as his chamber doors were unlocked, and the sensory deprivation tank was prepared for him.

 

         “Are you sure you’ll be happier in the tank than in your room?”

 

         The Sybarite nodded gravely, and a look of relief suffused his figures when he slipped into the cool water. He lay down and his entire body relaxed.

 

         “I wanted to ask you a few questions. Things have gotten to a point now where I think everyone involved is at risk of being hurt if we don’t get some answers from you.”

 

         The Sybarite regarded him coolly, and Will could sense there was still a wall up. But the Sybarite’s hesitation now seemed to come from a place different than prejudice. He struggled to find the words. “Much I know … much that you wish to know. I cannot tell you, I have not the words. If there were another way…”

 

         Finally, the Sybarite wanted to cooperate with him, and Will tried to be as encouraging as possible. “What do you need? How can we help you?”

 

         The Sybarite propped himself up on one elbow and looked deeply into Will’s eyes. It was as if he were trying to see into the depths of Will’s soul. “I can give you the gift of the Silver Lady. But you must prove yourself worthy.”

 

         Entranced, unable to look away or even blink, Will nodded. “How do I become worthy?”

 

         “You must not be afraid to die.”


	8. Chapter 8

EIGHT

***

 

         “I don’t know, Will. It sounds quite risky. And besides, we don’t even know what this ritual entails. All we’ve been told is that you might die.”

 

         Will bit back his frustration. He had reached a point where he knew this was something that he _had_ to do, and he was like a dog with a bone unwilling to let it go. “I don’t think that’s what he meant. But look, Magnus, finally we have one of them offering to give us all the information we’ve wanted. About their history, culture, their purpose… I _know_ I can do this. I danced for Kali once, for chrissake!”

 

         Helen couldn’t help but grin a little at that memory, but quickly forced herself back to the present. “And you died. That, however, was to stave off the destruction of three continents and possibly the rest of the world to follow. To risk your neck to find out something we’ve already made headway on with other resources … no. I can’t allow it.”

 

         “Can’t _allow it?_ ” Will stopped himself, breathing deeply, as he heard his own voice rising. “Okay … okay, I’ll just try talking to him a bit more then.” Working out a phantom itch under his shoulder blades, Will stalked out of the room.

 

         Helen watched him leave with a note of regret. She adored and admired Will deeply for exactly this passion that he had, it was one that they shared. But his wellbeing, as well as everyone else in the Sanctuary, was her responsibility. It was hard for her to tell him no, but she knew it was a hard job she had to do.

 

***

 _… the serving castes while strictly ruled, carry their own conventions and lives away from the observance of the sanguine vampires. … different terms to … to the carniviscus the sanguine are Los Maestros … to the halispirus the sanguine are La Familia … separate gods worshipped in secret … the Lord of Skulls given appropriate sacrifices of bones and skeletons … the halispirus worship the Silver Lady … the sanguine vampirus seem to hold no religion of their own and instead venerate their former kings and queens …_

         Nikola heard the door to Helen’s office open and stiffened. He knew everyone’s signature scent and heartbeat, and the person who had entered was not the lady of the house but a different visitor altogether.

 

         “Get out.” He said without turning around. His visitor stopped, as if wary to be caught, but proceeded forward anyway. Nikola turned to gaze sharply at the female Sybarite, who had an almost guilty expression on her face.

 

         Nikola waited, an eyebrow raised quizzically. The female Sybarite, however, seemed cowed and would not raise her gaze from the floor or venture to speak. Finally, impatient, he snapped, “What do you want?”

 

         “I am not sorry that the Family were attacked … but I am beginning to believe you are not truly of the Family. If that is so, then I am sorry you were hurt.”

 

         “That was incredibly convoluted and I’m not sure where the apology was hiding in there.”

 

         The female Sybarite winced. While she couldn’t understand everything he was saying, the biting sarcasm in his voice carried over language barriers. “If you are not of the Family, then you do not understand our duties. You do not understand what is written in our blood to perform. But then … what are you?”

 

         Nikola softened a little, the tip of his pen tapping impatiently against the journal he’d been studying. “I am a scientist and an inventor. I am also part blood vampire.”

 

         “Part?” The female Sybarite looked scandalized. He could only imagine how she thought a mongrel like him could come into being.

 

         “It’s a long story. Now, I have some work to get back to…”

 

         She came over to him, an odd, thoughtful expression on her face. He could already sense that her manner around him had drastically changed after discovering his more bastardized lineage. She held no more reverence for him, but also no more fear or hatred. She noted the faded wounds on his neck. A few more days and they’d vanish completely.

 

         Leaning in, she moved her face so that it was only a few inches from him. His hackles rose and his first instinct was to draw back, but the expression on her face wasn’t of one who wanted to attack or seduce him. Instead, her lips parted and he saw a tendril of that same silvery mist leaving her own being, and curling towards him. Unsure of exactly what to do, he inhaled. The silver mist escaped into him, and he felt a faint tingling in his throat. His fingers went to his neck, and it was smooth and free from any scar.

 

         She drew back, satisfied. “You have not been touched by the Silver Lady. But you can accept her gift.”

 

         He still had a stunned look on his face, pointing first at her and then to his neck. “What just happened here? And who’s the Silver Lady? She’s your deity isn’t she? And what … what the hell did you just do to me?”

 

         The female Sybarite just shook her head, a small smile on her face and made to leave. Nikola grabbed her wrist, desperate for answers. “Who is the Silver Lady? The Lord of Skulls? What is it that you feed on?”

 

         The female Sybarite backed warily away from his touch, but considered his questions. Finally, she pointed to a spot outside the office windows. Nikola turned to look and saw a full moon hanging in the sky. By the time he turned around again with a million further questions, the Sybarite had left.

 

***

 

         “Sorry little guys … I hope there’s lots of cheese for you in the big wheel in the sky.” Henry poked a finger into the mice cage wistfully as the two furry inhabitants squeaked and nosed around curiously.

 

         The Big Guy and Helen finished strapping sensors to the Sybarite’s temples and along the backs of their necks. She motioned for Henry to bring the mice over.

 

         The male Sybarite carefully took one mouse out of the cage, observing it gently in his cupped hands. “Are you sure you want us to take them fully?”

 

         Helen nodded grimly. “Yes. We need to see the entire process from start to finish.” She keyed a command onto her computer and then nodded towards them. “Whenever you’re ready.”

 

         The Sybarites held the mice to their faces, gently brushing against them as if in a way of thanks and apology. Then their lips parted and a thin, silvery mist began to unfurl from the nostrils of the mice. After only thirty seconds the mice began to squeak in alarm, before their cries of distress were cut short. They twitched and stiffened, finally dead. It all happened under a minute’s time.

 

         Henry stared sadly at the two, still mice.

 

***

 

         “It’s absolutely incredible,” Helen breathed. Her eyes flickered over the scan results in wonder.

 

         Will was studying them as intently, surprise registering on his face. “They _don’t_ have any psychic abilities. Then how can they gather information about someone just by sucking in their breath? How do they kill them?”

 

Tesla pointed to a specific stream of data on the screen. “That’s simple enough, their victims become asphyxiated. They suffocate. But look here…” He brought up one of the scanned images of the Sybarite’s brains. “… their brains are very different from ours. Their parietal and temporal lobes are exponentially larger than we see in any living being. Their occipital lobes to an extent. And during feeding they positively light up.”

 

         “Memory, perception, stimuli…” Will looked just as stunned as the rest of them. “They essentially have all the tools to do my job hardwired into their brains.”

 

         Helen began printing out their results, her entire body almost humming with excitement. “They can read genetic codes…”

 

         Will and Tesla looked at her curiously. She drew up the departmental files on telepaths so they could view them side-by-side. “I think that _any_ physical material from a person’s body would allow them to read that person. Their species just concentrates on feeding on breath, rather than blood or flesh like the other _vampirus_. They can read the genes from our exhalations and that gains them access to our memories, our physical makeup, but not our current thoughts like the telepaths can read.”

 

         “Which is why they can pick up our language after feeding,” Will continued slowly, the amount of information he had to process overwhelming, “but don’t know what I’m about to say to them.”

 

         “It’s the most elegant information carrier system I’ve ever seen. It’s exactly like how the _sanguine vampirus_ can read an entire person’s history through a drop of their blood.” Nikola’s grin was starting to widen. He lived for the thrill of a new discovery.

 

         Will’s hand suddenly slammed down on the table. “ _That’s_ how they communicate. They feed each other, and that’s how they pass on language. Magnus – _this is what the Sybarite meant_. He wants to feed me so I can learn about their history.”

 

         Helen was taken aback. “Is … is that even possible?”

 

         Nikola quietly said, “Yes.” But didn’t elaborate. Helen saw the fire stoked in Will’s eyes again, and unexpectedly felt afraid of the all-consuming eagerness that had taken over him. “I don’t know if that’s wise, Will…”

 

         He looked like he was ready to scream. “ _Why not?_ We know what the ritual entails now. We’ve run tests on what the process is. We know more now. This is … this is _huge_. Thousands of years of history downloaded into my brain in a few minutes.”

 

         “ _Exactly_ ,” Helen hissed, “we have no idea the ramifications of such an exchange. We don’t know what it will do to you, Will. If the human brain is even capable of handling it, or if your body can handle having their breath funneled into you in such vast amounts. We need more time … more tests.”

 

         “How many tests did you run before you injected yourself with original source blood? How much did you know of what it would do to you or anyone?” Will exploded.

 

         Helen gaped, it was as if Will had slapped her across the face. She could feel her temper, and a healthy amount of shame, bubbling up inside of her. Will was already regretting his outburst, but his flash of anger was hard to disperse. Before either of them could say anything, Nikola opened the lab door and gestured with his head for Will to leave.

 

         “Go on. We’ll all talk later.”

 

         Grateful for an excuse to leave, Will stormed out of the lab. Helen was still reeling in shock and her mouth worked furiously, trying to think of an adequate response. Nikola sat down beside her, looking concerned.

 

         “… _cheeky_ git. What gives him the right to say those things?”

 

         Nikola shrugged nonchalantly. “Probably because he’s right.”

 

         Helen sighed, deflated. “I know. But, I don’t want him to make the same mistakes I did.”

 

         “You’ll have to let go of his hand at some point, Helen.” Nikola smirked, rising from his seat and blew a kiss at her before leaving as well.

 

         Helen slumped over her workstation, feeling drained.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helen and Nikola dance to Glen Miller. Will learns the price of the Silver Lady's gift.

NINE

***

 

         Helen filed away the brain scans and test results for the night, having burned the midnight oil well into the twilight hours, and yawned. She realized how isolated she had felt the past few days, having been so caught up with the Sybarites.

 

         Will spent all of his free time talking to them and trying to get to know them better. Henry was always holed up in his lab making sure the Sanctuary was functioning. The Big Guy had taken over a large amount of the day to day administrative duties, and Kate was usually off being her girl Friday, bagging abnormals, touching base with their contacts and keeping abreast of the information networks. And Nikola … well, her wine cellar was dangerously replete once more.

 

         Helen wandered into her office, only to find it empty. She dumped her files onto her desk, noticed a wine stain and sighed. Now was a good a time as any to check in with Nikola to see if he had found anything more from the journal and scrolls.

 

         She first headed off to the direction of the wine cellars, when she heard strains of music coming from the corridors. Curious, it led her to the library, and she cautiously eased the doors open.

 

         Nikola had set up her gramophone, a gift from James Watson, and one of her old swing records was playing. He was casually sifting through some notes, and looked up to see her enter. A grin played on his face.

 

         She walked in, happily sighing at the old music she hadn’t heard in quite some time. “Well, this brings back memories.”

 

         “Indeed,” Nikola rose. “Like the time I took you to see Glen Miller.” He held his hand out to her, and she hesitated. He pouted, gently taking her by the wrist. “Come on, dance with me.”

 

         “How much wine have you had, Nikola?”

 

         “Irrelevant. But I know you haven’t stopped to take a break in weeks, and you could do with some relaxing.” He twirled her on the spot, and grinning audaciously, pulled her right up against him. She frowned, but it was more to hold back a smile.

 

         “I showed you a good time, and I remember being a perfect gentleman about it too. Don’t worry, Helen, your virtue’s safe with me.”

 

         “Doubtful,” but she finally laughed and let him lead her to the music.

 

         “Remember when I took you to see Billie Holiday? I remember she was always your favourite.”

 

         “That was James who took me, and you know it.”

 

         Nikola frowned, pretending to be affronted, but then shrugged. “Still, it should have been me.”

 

         “You disappeared after the war, remember? No one knows what happened to you … what you did … why you were gone for so long.”

 

         Nikola smirked, leaning in to her ear. “I promise it wasn’t another woman.” Helen swatted him away. Nikola contented himself to swaying them back and forth, a curiously thoughtful look on his face.

 

         “What are you plotting? I won’t fall for you kissing me again.”

 

         “We all did our best to try and distract you … but it never worked, did it?”

 

         Surprised, Helen felt hot tears prickle the back of her throat. She turned away from him, resting her head on his shoulder instead. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

         “I mean, “ Nikola stopped still, “that you always wanted it to be Druitt taking you around, didn’t you?”

 

         Helen let go of his arms, crossing them over her chest. She suddenly felt very fragile and didn’t trust herself to speak. Nikola, unexpectedly gentle, placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face up so that he could see her eyes. “I just want you to remember who was there for you when you needed it.”

 

         “I haven’t forgotten.”

 

         Nikola raised an eyebrow as if to remark to the contrary, but then shook her shoulder playfully. “We danced to this sixty years ago, and if you can keep up with me in the two-step, I just might share with you what I’ve found out.”

 

         Helen laughed, forcing herself back into good cheer. “Keeping things from me? Cheeky bastard.”

 

         “Everything with a price, but trust me – it’s worth it.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her from her misery, inviting her back to a time when the world had endless possibilities and there was still music she could dance to.

 

***

 

         Helen woke up feeling a comfortable weight around her shoulders. She could hear the scratchy tones of her gramophone spinning endlessly around a blank track, and see the expanse of her library. She couldn’t rightly remember how she had fallen asleep in there, but turned to her side to realize she was sitting on a couch leaning against Nikola, one of his arms wrapped around her in a comradely fashion.

 

         He was sleeping deeply, and no wonder considering how little he partook in the exercise. So she gently extricated herself from his arm. Yawning away the last cobwebs of sleep, she walked over to her desk where he had been keeping notes.

 

         The cheeky bastard had actually managed to go through the entire journal. Excitedly, she began to read his notes from where he had last picked up from her research.

 

         The explorer Vasquez had managed to observe the vampire city for a month, making daily trips from a neighboring human village and diligent efforts to be unseen and unnoticed by the vampires. He described in broken detail their daily lives, their buildings, the way their city was organized, and the different castes they had set up to delegate work. The _carniviscus vampirus_ seemed to hold the bulk of the gathering castes, bringing in fresh humans for food supplies, only allowed to eat after the _sanguine_ had their fill.

 

         But what were the _halispirus_ , the Sybarites, used for? They were only rarely seen, though evidence of their presence denoted their intrinsic need to the _sanguine_.

 

         Helen read on. The explorer Vasquez had noticed unease and great turmoil amongst the lower ranking vampires. This was obviously a society built on domination, and the _sanguine_ had to control their servants with iron fists. Rebellion rose at every corner, although in pockets small enough that they posed no real threat. Helen read on and discovered that the temple her team had discovered was a secret building made by the _halispirus_ away from prying eyes. Here they housed the archives of their history, and worshipped their goddess, the Silver Lady, who was the moon. Vasquez had made several attempts to enter the temple … it seemed he had also been after those scrolls. In fact, they were the initial motivation for his expedition. But why?

 

         _Whiny plebeians only fit to serve_. Helen snorted at Nikola’s own colourful commentary.

 

She read of disturbing accounts where young _halispirus_ were taken away by the _sanguine_ into one of their inner chambers, only to emerge later with no visible changes, but a distinctively altered attitude. Vasquez only noted these instances out of the integrity to keep records, but said nothing further of them. Helen pondered on this, it felt like there was more. She noticed Nikola had added his own thoughts.

 

 _Experiments. Castration. Enhancement. More fit to serve._

The _halispirus_ that were sometimes seen amongst the _sanguine_ were always displayed somewhat with the wealthy and powerful. Always covered in ornate clothing and jewelry, but never as a sign of their own personal power, but of their master. Like a commodity. Like…

 

 _Pleasure slaves._

Helen felt her stomach swoop in a sickening fashion. She could already make the connections between these two incidents and deduce the conclusion Nikola had come to. And she was afraid he was right. The Sybarites weren’t pleasure-seekers by nature … somehow, the _sanguine vampirus_ had blasted their pain and pleasure centers open, so as to better manipulate and control them. This was one major enhancement to their physical makeup that had nothing to do with their natural abnormal gifts. Otherwise, they may have been too powerful and pose a threat to the _sanguine_ rule. Perhaps they once did, and when conquered, were also neutered in a twisted fashion.

 

 _The Path of Silver. The Gift of the Silver Lady. Only those who are worthy may pass through unharmed._

Vasquez was obsessed by these terms. The _halispirus_ held something in their history, in the archives of their temple that he wanted. It seemed like the scrolls Helen and Will had managed to obtain held the key to these secrets, and Vasquez had failed to obtain. What was this gift? What was this path? It sounded like some bizarre ritual. A ceremony?

 

Vasquez’s journal ended abruptly, his last entry remarking how the next day he was going to attempt to enter the temple to observe one of the ceremonies the _halispirus_ observed at full moon. The fact that his journal remained blank immediately afterward did not signal well for his healthy return.

 

Helen sat back reeling. They had learned much from the journal, but it opened up more questions than answers. Answers held in the indecipherable scrolls, and her two mysterious guests.

 

***

 

         Will wandered through the corridors of the Sanctuary, having been unable to sleep. He had been feeling restless the past few nights, only managing to catch a few minutes here and there. His mind was buzzing constantly, latched firmly onto a new puzzle. Too bad he didn’t have an off-switch.

 

         Wandering aimlessly, he stood in front of the Sybarites’ chambers without realizing his feet had taken him there. Curious, he could see through the door window that they were awake, communicating in their wordless fashion.

 

         The male Sybarite suddenly turned and stared right at him. Somehow, he had heard or sensed Will from the other side. With a pale hand, he beckoned him in.

 

         Nervous, Will opened the door and stepped inside. The two Sybarites were sitting up in their water tanks, observing him keenly.

 

         “You cannot sleep.” The male Sybarite observed.

 

Will shrugged sheepishly, pulling up a chair and seating himself beside them. “Finding it hard to, these days.”

 

“You seek answers, friend. But you do not ask me for them.”

 

Will was taken aback and tried quickly to find a diplomatic response. “I appreciate the offer, I do. I really want to take you up on it … but everyone here thinks it’s best to take it slowly. Be cautious.”

 

The male Sybarite sneered dismissively. “You are afraid then. It is better you do not ask if you are afraid.” The female Sybarite eyed him coolly though, looking deeper, and she shook her head. “He is not afraid. But he will not break his duty.”

 

The male Sybarite leaned close in to Will, his nostrils flaring. Will’s vision filled with those large, black eyes, and the almost translucent skin. The Sybarite intoned softly to him, “You fear certain things over death. You are familiar with death.”

 

Will laughed weakly. “I’ve died twice.”

 

“Then meet her again a third time.” The male Sybarite suddenly closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Silvery mist began to curl slowly outwards, his pale fingers coaxing it out of him. The female stepped silently out of her tank and drifted towards Will.

 

“Whoa, hang on a second—“

 

Before Will could protest further, the female Sybarite took his head in her hands. She knelt down and whispered into his ear, “You must first be empty before you can receive the Lady’s gift.” Her mouth hovered over his, close enough to kiss, and she began inhaling.

 

Will felt something tug out from his lungs. At first it was like trying to breathe through a straw … and then it felt like the straw was collapsing. His chest seized and felt like it was gripped by an iron fist. He struggled, but the female Sybarite’s grip on his face was strong and she was relentless. Black dots started to overwhelm his vision and Will felt like he was screaming endlessly with the sound going nowhere.

 

Just as he was about to faint, sweating, his lips numb, his face cold, the male Sybarite suddenly swooped in and placed his mouth firmly over Will’s. Slowly, Will felt something funneling back into him, his chest seizing violently, scrabbling onto what breath it could. His vision exploded into stars that slowly began to fade, the female was supporting his arms so he wouldn’t fall over, the male still holding on firmly. His chest hitched, there was finally enough for him to draw breath.

 

That breath was like the instant a floodgate opened. Will panicked as millennia of memories and images, of dreams and feelings suddenly roared into his mind’s eye in an all-consuming tidal wave. Unbeknownst to him, he fainted dead away, falling limp into the Sybarite’s arms.

 

The female brushed her hand over his face in concern, but knew he was breathing regularly and evenly now. He would be fine. Gently, the two Sybarites lifted him and placed him into one of the tanks. He was experiencing far more than any normal person should, he would need relief from some sensation.

 

Will lay in the tank of shallow water, occasionally twitching, and reliving a hundred lifetimes in one feverish dream.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The history of the vampires revealed. Nikola and Helen talk about wishes, and he makes her a promise...

TEN

***

 

         “Hey Will, I don’t want to nag you or anything, but you’ve had my copy of Black Ops for a month now and I kinda have a co-op game starting in half an hour with these crazy aces from Singapore—” Henry stopped mid-sentence, realizing that he’d been babbling into an empty room.

 

         “Will?”

 

         Henry poked his head around for a few seconds more before pulling out his tablet. Flipping through security feeds he noticed someone wandering around the corridors in a daze. It was Will, and it looked like he had jumped into a pool.

 

         Confused, Henry set off, hoping to cut Will off before he reached an elevator. In his hurry, he almost collided right into Will as he dashed through the East wing.

 

         “Jesus, Will—“

 

         “ _La Familia!_ ” That was the last thing Henry heard before he felt something heavy hit the back of his head and blacked out.

 

***

 

         “How are you feeling?”

 

         Will winced, gingerly massaging his temples. He felt like his head was going to split open. “What happened?”

 

         Henry smiled ruefully at him, similarly massaging the back of his head. “I saw you on the security feed wandering around like a coked up raccoon. When I went to see what was up, you yelled at me in Spanish and went Mexican Rambo on my ass.”

 

         “Sorry.”

 

         “You owe me a case of Guinness, that’s all I’m saying.”

 

         “Done.” Will blinked sluggishly as Helen checked him over. She had a slight disapproving look on her face.

 

         “You went to the Sybarites.”

 

         “Believe me, Magnus, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

 

         “Skip the lecture, Helen. Young William has work to do.” Nikola strode into the room with the three scrolls tucked under his arm. Pushing Henry aside, he laid the first one flat across Will’s lap.

 

         “ _Read_.”

 

         Will was about to protest that he wouldn’t be able to make head nor tail of them, when he looked down at the pictographs and realized he understood them. It was a peculiar sensation, as if there was a three second delay on his comprehension. He saw the pictograph, felt it filter through someone else’s memory, and then grasped its meaning.

 

         He didn’t realize he’d been staring at the scroll dumbfounded for a silent minute until Tesla growled, “Out _loud_ , please.”

 

         “The Silver Children were placed upon the Earth thousands of moons ago. The Silver Lady gave them the gift to steal souls so that they could remain strong. The Children shall remain under the cloak of darkness, where the Lady can watch over them.”

 

         Fascinated, Will quickly unrolled the second scroll without prompting, getting used to the information filter in his brain.

 

         “The Blood Family came with their armies, hungry for land and humans. They brought the Skull worshippers as their soldiers. The Children prayed to the Silver Lady for help, but the Family sacked her temple. Lost to her light, the war was lost, and the Children are slaves. The Family taints the Silver Gift, tying the Children to the Earth and further away from Her Grace.”

 

         Everyone in the room was silent, listening with rapt attention as Will carefully unwrapped the final scroll.

 

         “The Children must never forget the Silver Lady, who will never abandon her brood. The Lady leaves us one final gift, for those who are worthy and have not forgotten her ways. Walk the Silver Path to the Chamber of Silver. If deemed worthy, the Lady shall grant her champion one wish. Blood will fail while spirit endures.”

 

         A hush fell over the room as Will finished reading. Helen and Tesla stood quietly with profound looks on their faces. Only Henry stood there awkwardly, feeling left out.

 

         “What the hell does any of that even mean?”

 

***

 

         “This … this gift. It’s amazing.” The male Sybarite merely nodded at Will in acknowledgement. While he betrayed none of the boyish enthusiasm bouncing through Will, an amused smirk graced his features.

 

         “I mean … I have memories of things I’ve never seen, of this incredible city, of all these different people … they’re _your_ memories, aren’t they?”

 

         The Sybarite nodded gravely.

 

         “Thank you. For sharing so much of yourself with me.” Will paused, something surfacing to his mind unbidden.

 

         “Aurelian.” The strange word rolled past his lips. The male Sybarite closed his eyes for a second. “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

 

         “One I haven’t heard for a very long time.”

 

***

 

         The female Sybarite was wandering through the library, her fingertips skimming over the spines of leather-bound books, when she felt fingers enclose around her wrist. She was ready to lash out, only to see Nikola with a finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. He released his grip and nodded his head to the direction of the wine cellar.

 

         They crept in, and Nikola closed the door behind him. “Your friend gave Will the ability to read those scrolls for a reason, but I smell a trap.”

 

         “You see deceit everywhere,” She scorned.

 

         “And with good reason. The Chamber of Silver sounds like a siren call for any explorer. Any wish granted by the Goddess? There has to be a catch.”

 

         The female Sybarite stared blankly back at him, not understanding the phrase.

 

         “What does it take to be the Lady’s Champion? What kind of wish will she grant?”

 

         “I was never a Champion … so I do not know. I know that only our kind have attempted it. And – she will grant anything. Anything.”

 

         Nikola worried the bottom of his lip, still feeling as if the entire truth hadn’t come out yet. “What are her ways?”

 

         “Balance. Without day, there is no night. Without the sun, there is no moon. Should one become more powerful than the other, all is chaos.”

 

         “Can … can one of the Family, a blood vampire, enter the Silver Chamber?”

 

         A dark look passed over the Sybarite’s face. Glee, pleasure, shame and hatred. She grew quiet, until Nikola stepped closer. “Yes, they can. Balance. She can give, she can also take away. But it must come from somewhere, or it must go someplace.”

 

         Nikola frowned slightly, trying to work through the riddles, but luckily her swinging emotions told him more than her cryptic words. “You would bring them to the chamber as sacrifices…”

 

         “Yes,” Her voice burned hotly, “and I will not regret it.”

 

         Nikola held his hands up in peace before pressing on. “So what would your Champions wish for? Do you know?”

 

         The Sybarite’s nostrils flared as she calmed down. “The most common gift was to have the taint taken away, so we could be as we were intended. The founder of the temple was the first to escape the Family and bring one of them to the Chamber. Many more escaped through the Lady’s Gift after … but not enough.”

 

         “The taint … the tests that Helen ran on you have allowed us to see what it is. Your brains were altered, but … it might be reversible.”

 

         The Sybarite’s eyes lit up, but she remained cautious in her hope, hiding her eagerness. Nikola grinned ruefully, then considered her curiously. “Why do you speak to me so freely? Especially considering what I am?”

 

         The Sybarite pulled out a bottle of wine, much to his chagrin, and passed it to him. He deftly pulled the cork out with his teeth. “I have changed because of them. You have changed because of them. Both for better and for worse. We are not so different.”

 

         Nikola held up the bottle to toast that, and took a swig before passing it onto the Sybarite. She imitated his gesture, before drinking. He looked pointedly at the bottle and winked. “Don’t tell Helen.”

 

***

 

         “It’s … it’s Ylerin.”

 

         Helen jotted that down with a smile. “Aurelian and Ylerin. Well, it’s finally nice to put names to a face. And these are very similar to common Spanish names as well. Perhaps the _halispirus_ are one of the origins of the language.”

 

         Will closed his eyes, delving into Aurelian’s memories again. Helen had invited them to sit in, but they blushed and claimed they would find that highly embarrassing. And that any memories Will was not privy to, he had not been given.

 

         “Aurelian, he was a courier of sorts … a spy, I guess. He belonged to a family within the court. There was so much political infighting amongst the blood vamps that it was common to steal information and blackmail for power. He’d sneak into a target’s chambers while they slept and try to steal their breath, not enough to be noticed, but enough to learn something.

 

         “During the war, he was a soldier. There’s … wow. There’s some dark stuff in here, Magnus. Nothing pretty.”

 

         Helen smiled sympathetically, and squeezed his arm. “It never is. You can skip past it.”

 

         “Okay … well, he managed to escape after his master was assassinated. He fled to the temple, became a guardian, and that’s where he was teamed up with Ylerin. She was part of the temple for longer, and worked as an assassin. She was a pleasure slave to the blood vamps, and would try to ingratiate herself into high houses and pick off the leaders. Then … then, I don’t know. They’re the last two left. Then they ran into us.”

 

         “Was there another war? Another battle?”

 

         “No, I don’t think so. The blood vamps moved on … envoys from other clans, Egypt I think, came along and they joined forces. They were seized under a new reign, I guess, and decided to overhaul their power system. They killed all of the _carniviscus_ and _halispirus_ under their control as abominations of the species. Most of the _halispirus_ that could run, went to the temple. They’ve holed up there since.”

 

         “Then how is it that only Aurelian and Ylerin remain? By our estimates, they’re over five thousand years old.”

 

         Will laughed. “Makes _you_ feel young.”

 

         “Indeed! Very humbling.”

 

         “Hmm … let’s see … they passed on? They went to the Silver Lady, something to do with the Path of Silver. The feeling is that they’re dead, or moved on to their version of the afterlife willingly. I guess they didn’t want anything to do with the material world anymore. And Aurelian and Ylerin stayed behind just in case of any stragglers to guide them along the way.”

 

         Helen noticed a small tremble forming in Will’s hand. She prodded him playfully to wake him from his reverie. “How are you feeling?”

 

         “Starving.”

 

         “Well, come on. Let’s have dinner, you’ve done quite enough for a day.”

 

***

 

         “You’re brooding.”

 

         Helen turned to look behind her, rolled her eyes, and looked back out over the city again. Nikola sidled in beside her, both their legs dangling off the roof’s edge as they watched the myriad lights dusting Old Town’s nightscape.

 

         “So, what’s on your mind?” He brought out a wine bottle and poured a glass for her. “Tell me all your secrets.”

 

         She took the offered glass, sipping, and enjoying the spread of warmth down to her stomach. “It’s just … overwhelming. The mission was meant to be, really, just a small bit of fun for the team. I never expected to find El Dorado … I also didn’t expect to stumble onto something so much bigger.”

 

         Nikola downed his glass and shook his finger at her as if disciplining a school child. “That’s not it. I know you’re really interested in something when you consistently side-step around it and refuse to come at it directly.”

 

         “Like what?”

 

         “Like me. And the Silver Chamber.”

 

         Helen clamped her mouth shut, refusing to betray herself. She took a healthy sip of wine for something to do.

 

         “And why not? It’s the most interesting part of this whole ordeal.” He nudged her playfully with his shoulder. “Come on, if you were given a magical silver genie – what would you wish for?”

 

         “What would _you_ wish for?” Helen deflected.

 

         “You. Or maybe Edison’s rotting corpse so I could reanimate it and put it through several humiliating acts. Or global domination. The usual. But I asked you first.”

 

         Helen went quiet for a moment, looking into her glass. She drained the last mouthful and then refilled it to half. “I’ll admit, I was thinking about it. My first thoughts turned to having Ashley back … but that’s a perverse thought. I know no good comes from trying to reverse death, we saw that with Adam Worth.”

 

         “What is it, then?” Nikola asked gently.

 

         “I feel tired. I feel tired of knowing I will always have to bury my friends, my family … that I will outlive them. It gets rather lonely. I feel tired of living with the ramifications of our original experiment, _my_ original experiment. Will was right … the source blood has brought more evil than it was ever worth. What it did to John … to Ashley … even to you.”

 

         “I’m not complaining.”

 

         “Of course you wouldn’t. But I’m exhausted. I wish I could reverse it … know when my time is coming. That Will can take over where I leave off, and I can rest peacefully and know when my time comes it’ll be surrounded by my friends.”

 

         There was an indiscernible look on Nikola’s face. He couldn’t bear to even cross the few inches between them to hold her hand. “I won’t bury you,” He said softly.

 

         Helen smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “Come on, now. I’ve always wanted a lights show at my funeral.”

 

         “The day you die, Helen … I’ll make sure the entire world lights up.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sybarites get their chance to be a little more human. John Druitt makes a house call.

ELEVEN

***

 

         “If the treatment makes you nauseous, take these. But only two at a time, and only four pills in total a day.”

 

         Aurelian shook out one of the pills, a mild painkiller, bit it into two halves and gave one to Ylerin.

 

         “When will the surgery happen?” Aurelian asked.

 

         “Two days from now, so the drug treatment has a chance to take affect.”

 

         Aurelian clasped Ylerin’s hand. They were a little scared, but eager to try. Helen didn’t blame them, the operation was complex and more than a little daunting. She had the idea of trying to correct the sensory paths in their brains. The blood vampires had altered the course electric signals in their brains took, diverting them to their pleasure and pain receptors. They had also increased the sensitivity of those receptors.

 

         She wouldn’t be able to completely undo the damage, but with Nikola’s talents, she might be able to guide some of the strains back to their original pathways.

 

         It still required open-brain surgery, and heavy anesthetics for the Sybarites. Something she hadn’t wanted, but couldn’t avoid. It was very risky.

 

         When she outlined the procedure, Aurelian and Ylerin had engaged in one of their silent facial conversations, and eventually agreed.

 

         “Either way, we will be reunited with the Lady.”

 

         Ah, of course, the Silver Lady. Helen had been poring over research and sending inquires off to all the Sanctuaries to try and determine what she was. Her initial guess had been a super-abnormal, like Kali and Kanaan, but she still hadn’t been able to find any abnormal that matched the description of the Silver Lady. Perhaps she was of a species yet undiscovered. That was the likeliest possibility, considering they had no idea the Sybarites existed up until a few months ago.

 

         Ylerin lurched forward unexpectedly, Aurelian grasping her arm to steady her. “There is a disturbance outside.”

 

         “Disturbance?” Helen asked in alarm.

 

         “A shift … in energy.”

 

***

 

         Helen ran into her front courtyard, slightly out of breath. She felt weak in the knees, despite knowing what to expect.

 

         “John.”

 

         “Helen.” He smiled tentatively at her, his trench coat covered in a few dusty patches.

 

         “What are you doing here?”

 

         “To warn you. And also to apologize, for my hasty departure earlier.”

 

         She stiffened, taking a step back. “More news of doom on my doorstep? Some things never change.”

 

         His brow furrowed, contrition in every step. He held out his hand slowly, and when she didn’t pull away, took her hand in his. “Helen, I came here as a friend.”

 

         Trembling, she gratefully sank into his arms when he embraced her, holding onto the comfort of someone who understood her and had seen as much as she had.

 

         Nikola closed the window curtains with a snap, loathe to watch the sentimental reunion. He turned his attentions instead to the Sybarites. They had to be checked in on regularly, their systems were incredibly receptive to the medication, to the point where it could be dangerous.

 

         Aurelian was sleeping, finding that the most helpful in dealing with the effects of the drugs. Ylerin was weak, woozy and restless, finding it harder to cope.

 

         “It is worse than wine sickness,” She growled. That surprised a laugh out of Nikola.

 

         “I wouldn’t know.”

 

         He took her hand, if only to help stop it trembling. She nodded gratefully back at him. Much to his dismay, it seemed as if they had grudgingly formed a friendship. It was this thought that had Nikola tap his throat and nod to her.

 

         She raised an eyebrow quizzically, but he nodded again encouragingly before she could refuse. Weak, she acquiesced and coaxed a tendril from his mouth, delicately drinking it in. Her trembling stopped and she seemed more alert.

 

         His foremost thoughts swam in front of her and she blinked in surprise. “You … and the doctor…”

 

         Nikola cursed inwardly. He’d forgotten about that. He pointed to her warningly. “Not a word to anyone.”

 

         “This is a sad thing.”

 

         “Well, I don’t judge you.” In the end, Ylerin just smiled and shook her head at him. She took another half-tablet of painkiller and fell asleep.

 

         Nikola stayed in the Sybarites’ room. Hiding in the darkness where he didn’t want to be found.

 

***

 

         “Your temple has raised some alarm bells.”

 

         After her initial shock, John had to gently remind her that he had vital information for her to hear. She had the Big Guy bring some tea to her sitting room (he grunted with displeasure at the sight of John).

 

         “You’ve been back?”

 

         “Redundancy is something I live by. The destruction of the temple alerted some people to its existence. The wrong kinds of people. Every underground criminal organization want it for themselves. Some of these groups even deal in the trafficking of abnormals. It’s a touch pathetic, really. They don’t know what it is, just that it’s important and they want it. But it’s only a matter of time before they discover the temple holds the Chamber of Silver. And then you’re in trouble.”

 

         Helen eyed him suspiciously. “How do you know about the Silver Chamber?”

 

         “Like I said, it’s only a matter of time. Your guests aren’t from the only culture that worships that particular deity or derivations thereof.”

 

         Helen’s heart sank and she tapped her teacup nervously. “What’s it like right now?”

 

         “The temple ruins are surrounded by a hired mercenary group, the Hargraves. Bought by the Blanco cartel, an organization I understand has given the Sanctuary network trouble in the past. They’ve set up a base of operations right on the ground – a hundred men strong.”

 

         Helen let out a low whistle. “They’re very serious then.”

 

         Druitt stiffened, leaning towards her. “I know what you’re thinking, Helen. It’s a suicide mission. You’d be running into a warzone. It’s not just the Blanco, there are at least three other crime lords that have teams scouting the area.”

 

         “Have they found a way into the temple?”

 

         “Not yet,” John answered uneasily.

 

         “Then we have a chance.”

 

         Druitt hung his head, he knew there would be no way to talk her out of this. “You need me.”

 

         Helen shook her head, but Druitt held up a hand to stop her. “You _need_ me, Helen. There’s no other way you’ll be able to get past them.”

 

         Helen sighed, rubbing her left temple. “We’ll talk about it later. We can’t do anything until Aurelian and Ylerin have their surgery.”

 

         John scoffed. “Is that what you’re calling them now?”

 

         Helen said warningly, “Those are their _names_ … John.”

 

***

 

         Ylerin felt the air stir, the sound of footsteps on carpet … the faint sound of breathing and the acrid tang of adrenaline. She turned slowly from the window, where she had been watching the moon, to see a tall man approaching her.

 

         “Pardon me, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” He said pleasantly. His manner was polite and friendly, but something about him unnerved Ylerin. He was too still when he wished, his motions _too precise_ , his eyes flickered over all the places where her major arteries were.

 

         He noticed her observing him, her mounting fear, and she could hear his heart beat faster. The smell of adrenaline grew thicker. He was getting excited.

 

         He took a step forward, holding out his hand. “My name is John Druitt.”

 

         Ylerin didn’t deign to shake it. She was sorely regretting leaving the room she shared with Aurelian. She was highly anxious that she was not at full strength. Druitt stepped towards her again, his voice almost a purr, his gaze intense.

 

         “I didn’t realize you were mute. It’s considered rude not to respond, you know.”

 

         He had her backed up against the wall now, and Ylerin began to panic. There was something wrong with this man, there was a subtle difference in his scent, something neither Will nor Henry had. And he did not seem to have much control over his warring excitements.

 

         “Perhaps we just need to become better acquainted…” Ylerin heard a cold “ _snick”_ and a blade appeared at her throat. Growling, she grabbed his wrist, but he was stronger.

 

         Druitt chuckled, pushing the blade harder against her throat. He was toying with her, and seeing a small window of time, Ylerin inhaled sharply, drawing out his breath.

 

         It curled out, inky black, and surprised, she cried out. The taint was in his breath, his very spirit, and she’d hurt herself more by trying to take it in.

 

         Disturbed, then growing angry, Druitt gripped her jaw with his free hand. “What are you doing?”

 

         “I could ask the same thing, Johnny Boy.” Something hard collided into Druitt at considerable speed, causing him to fall to the ground. He looked up to see Tesla, transformed, with a bitter smirk on his face.

 

         “You’re upsetting my patients. Scram.” Tesla’s voice was deeper and more guttural, his eyes shining black.

 

         Druitt laughed coldly, standing up and flexing his shoulders. Every movement dripped with menace. “Just saying hello to our new house guests.”

 

         “Well, visiting hours are over.” Druitt’s hand was around Tesla’s throat in the blink of an eye. The tip of one of his talons was just tickling Druitt’s eyeball a split second later.

 

         “ _Don’t_.” Ylerin hissed, feeling useless on the sidelines. Reluctantly, Tesla pushed Druitt off of him, flexing his fingers irritably. Druitt sneered at them and laughed.

 

         “Well, wild beasts do run in packs, I suppose.”

 

         Tesla slashed Druitt’s chest, blood streaking through his claws. Druitt slammed sideways into Tesla with enough force that he flew into the wall. Both snarling, the two men raced towards each other, delivering blows that would have crippled lesser beings.

 

         Suddenly, a low keening ripped from Ylerin’s throat, like a mourning dirge. The sound alarmed John, and he stepped uneasily back. She’d wake up the Sanctuary if the noise continued. It pierced through the night air.

 

         “Run, Johnny. Run like Scotland Yard’s chasing you again.”

 

         Druitt shot Tesla a murderous look, but did quickly step out of the room. Ylerin stopped the mourning call and looked about the room in shock.

 

         “Are you all right?” Tesla slipped back into his more human form, helping her to her feet.

 

         Ylerin made frantic hand gestures, knowing she lacked the vocabulary to properly voice her thoughts. “There is something in him … inside him? Something that should not be there. What is it? It is … it is…”

 

         Nikola shook her gently. “Hey, slow down there. You’ll hurt yourself. Don’t worry about Druitt … we know. Long story. And he won’t dare try to get at you again.”

 

         “No … he lives with fear.”

 

         “Now, there’s just one thing,” Nikola shrugged lightly, but his tone belayed something greater at stake, “we can’t let Helen or anyone know this happened. You see, we need Druitt to be able to get back inside the temple. Loathe as I am to say, the man’s talents are useful.”

 

         Ylerin’s eyes widened slightly. “Why do you want to go back?”

 

         “Your temple ruins are in danger. And – admittedly, I don’t think anyone here wants to pass up the chance to learn more about the Chamber.”

 

         Ylerin shook her head in disbelief, and Nikola quickly backpedalled. “But you know, temple – doom, danger, rescue mission. That’s noble … right?”

 

         Ylerin looked at the door where John had left with a measure of distaste. “And we must cooperate with _him_.”

 

         “Better the devil you know.”


	12. Chapter 12

TWELVE

***

 

         “They want it for … profit?” Aurelian’s normally calm voice trembled with anger. “How very _human_.”

 

         Will felt like hanging his head in shame and apologizing for the vagaries of his species.

 

         “I did not expect to return home again. Especially under these conditions.”

 

         “We want to help you,” Will said. “I think together we can find a way to keep these guys from finding a way inside. We’ve dealt with goons like this before, and with your knowledge of the temple we have an edge. Do you trust us?”

 

         Aurelian smiled openly, a rarity for him, and clasped Will’s hand. “Yes, we trust you, William. Otherwise, we would still have you call us ‘Thing One’ and ‘Thing Two’.”

 

         Will blushed, but laughed. “Was that a joke?”

 

         “Impossible.”

 

***

 

         “When will you be leaving?” Helen watched as Druitt buttoned up his coat.

 

         “Soon. I’ll come back with more information on their movements, guard shifts – the like. I’ll say … three days. That’s as much time I can give you to prepare. Will that be enough?”

 

         “It’ll have to be.”

 

         Druitt gave her a fond smile and then bowed lightly, arms outstretched. Helen’s lips twisted, trying not to grin at the flamboyant gesture, and he strode out of the room.

 

         He paused in the hallway at the sight of a pale woman, one of their Sybarites, who stiffened when she saw him. Anger, accusation – unfortunately, it was an expression he was all too familiar with having directed at him.

 

         “I sense … I have wronged you somehow. My humblest apologies.”

 

         She frowned in surprise. He didn’t remember, not fully anyway. And his apology was sincere. She watched him carefully as he swept past her and out the front door. There was a shuddering _frisson_ as she felt the energy shift, and he was gone.

 

***

 

         Will watched nervously through the glass and into the operating room. Kate had a friendly hand on his shoulder. The Sybarites were being operated on, and to his surprise Will was feeling anxious not as a scientist or doctor, but as a friend.

 

         It was hard not to feel connected to someone, especially after they (quite literally) shared their entire life with you.

 

         Aurelian was being operated on first, Ylerin similarly under heavy sedation. Helen had carefully siphoned away excess gray matter and fluid from the areas surrounding the pleasure and pain centers. Tesla had been monitoring the receptors and was now delicately testing them, seeing if he could manipulate the pathways. It was like a microscopic switchboard … he had to decide which circuits should be shut off, and which ones should be turned back on again.

 

         The Big Guy was monitoring their vitals. Aurelian’s levels would spike dangerously at random intervals. “Three minutes and counting,” he growled. That was how much longer they could safely keep his brain exposed. He placed more cooling packs on top of Aurelian’s body.

 

         Tesla only barely heard him, this task required all of his concentration. Too much applied voltage … and he’d fry the brain, sending it into mass neural shock.

 

         “Two minutes…”

 

         “Just … one more…”

 

         Aurelian’s heartbeat began to spike. Tesla’s eyes flickered nervously to the vital signs monitor, then back to what he was doing. The tiniest spark leapt from his fingertips to Aurelian’s brain. “Okay, close him up. I’m done.”

 

         “Keep him stable.” Helen quickly sealed and replaced the top of the cranium, and began stapling the lining of his head back together.

 

         “I can’t look.” Kate ducked her face behind Will’s shoulder.

 

         “You? You can get squeamish?”

 

         Tesla fastidiously wiped his hands clean, he was the only one who couldn’t wear gloves during the operation. He sighed as he looked to Ylerin’s prone form on the next bed.

 

         “And we get to do this all over again. _Joy_.”

 

***

 

         “Glad to see you back, buddy.”

 

         “Buddy?” Aurelian gingerly felt the bandages covering his face.

 

         “It’s a term of endearment.” Will carefully guided Aurelian’s hand to a cup of water. His face was wrapped in bandages and he’d been in a deep sleep for twelve hours, only now waking.

 

         “Did it … did it go well?”

 

         “Magnus will want to run some standard tests to confirm, but the guess is that you’re now at only twenty-two percent above normal sensitivity. Ylerin’s at about thirty-two, maybe thirty-five percent.”

 

         Aurelian’s hand reached out, grasping, and Will held it. “I feel closer to her … to the Silver Lady…”

 

***

 

         Ylerin blinked slowly, but a smile crept on her face. She turned to lift her face to the sun, able to withstand its bright light without pain for the first time.

 

         “You’re right. It’s rather nice.”

 

         The Sybarites had recovered rather quickly from the surgery, already able to remove their bandages after twenty-four hours. Their grasp of English had also vastly improved after the mass exchange with Will, and they were beginning to pick up on colloquialisms and abstract terms.

 

         Helen had determined that Aurelian had improved vastly, only at eighteen percent above normal sensitivity. Ylerin was at thirty-seven percent, but it was still a miracle they had managed to drop that far from her original three hundred percent. She had been at higher levels because of her original role as a pleasure slave.

 

         “I finally feel in control.”

 

         “Nice feeling, isn’t it? Guess it was worth losing your hair.”

 

         Ylerin laughed, feeling her shaved head and the scars. “Yes. It seems you’ve saved my life on more than one occasion now. I guess I owe you a favour.”

 

         “Dangerous words to say to me,” Nikola smirked, “and I will be collecting.”

 

         Ylerin’s eyebrows shot up, but he waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not what you think. I just require your silence in a certain matter.”

 

         She hissed in distaste, but nodded slowly. “If that’s what you wish. What matter requires my discretion?”

 

         Nikola didn’t answer at first, staring off into the view of Old Town from the courtyard of the Sanctuary. His face had grown grave.

 

         “I am going to enter the Silver Chamber. I have something I want to ask the Silver Lady. But … I need to keep all of that between me, you, and your goddess.”

 

         Ylerin bowed her head. She knew agreeing to this could compromise her duty to uphold the ancient ways, but a life debt wasn’t one broken easily.

 

         “You have my word.”

 

***

 

         “When are we expecting Druitt?”

 

         Helen looked up momentarily from her computer then back down again, quickly finishing her email to the South American Sanctuary. “Tomorrow night. Do you think Aurelian and Ylerin are up for the task?”

 

         “They should be fine.” Nikola settled into the chair in front of her desk, and closed her laptop screen. She was about to snap at him for disturbing her work but he cut in first.

 

         “What are you even planning to do when you get there? Do you have any idea?”

 

         “I was _working_ on that. I have Kate getting in touch with some of her old contacts to run interference with these groups. The South American Sanctuary is sending me their information on the Blanco cartel—“

 

         Nikola stopped her with a wave of his hand, impatient. “Irrelevant. What are you going to _do_ when you actually get inside?”

 

         Helen glared at him irritably, but he was right. “I don’t know. I think if there are any artifacts or other materials, we remove them. If the Sybarites think it’s the best option … we set off another booby trap. Bury the rest of the archives.”

 

         “But what about the _Chamber of Silver_? You know the Blanco cartel and every other Corleone fanboy will want to have it. And they can dig it up.”

 

         “Well, we can’t allow it to fall into their hands.” Helen re-opened her laptop with a defiant smirk. “We’ll know better how to deal with that once we’re there.”

 

         Nikola groaned, hanging his head in his hands. “You want to blow it up.”

 

         “If it’s the only option left to us, we’ll have to do it.”

 

         “But we could learn so much—“

 

         “If it comes down to it.” Helen had on her best no-nonsense voice. “I will do what it takes to preserve the integrity of that temple and its history.”

 

         Nikola looked up at her with surly eyes. “Make a wish … any wish in the world.”


	13. Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

***

 

         “I hope you’re ready.” Helen slid the fresh cartridge into her hand pistol and locked it with a snap. She nodded to John.

 

         John placed his hands on Will and Aurelian’s shoulders. They disappeared a second later in a flash of orange light. Tesla brushed an invisible speck of dust off his shoulder in distaste. He hated being showed up.

 

         John reappeared, grabbed Tesla and Ylerin and vanished again. Helen checked her messages one last time to confirm that Henry had made it to the South American Sanctuary in one piece.

 

         A whisper of air across her face and John was standing beside her. He took her hand. “My lady?” He brought it to his lips and just as she felt them brush against her skin, they teleported.

 

***

 

         They re-materialized in a small clearing of forest. Will was waiting for them and gestured for her to follow him. They made it to the edge of the clearing, and Helen noted they were on a rise, hidden by the tree line.

 

         Below them were the ruins of the temple, and it was swarming with activity. A small city of tents and vehicles had been set up around the perimeter. There was a detail of what looked like twenty-five men stationed around the temple, heavily armed.

 

         The front façade of the building had crumbled, blocking the entranceway. There was a second team of men on excavation detail, but the work was heavy and slow. Despite the cranes and bulldozers, they had to be careful to make sure the structure didn’t crumble any further.

 

         “Industrious little bastards,” Helen breathed, a pair of binoculars up to her eyes.

 

         “I can’t teleport in there,” John said gravely. “There’s not telling what part of the structure is still standing and what’s now buried under rubble.”

 

         “Is there any gap in the defenses?” Will asked.

 

         “Not much.” Druitt pointed in the distance. “The back of the temple when the guard shift changes. A minute at most.”

 

         Helen looked to Aurelian. “Is there any other entrance into the temple?”

 

         “Several, though some have been destroyed. There is an antechamber on the other side of that wall with a hidden door. However, there is room for only one at a time.”

 

         Helen frowned. “Last resort then, a minute may not give us enough time.”

 

         “There is a tunnel,” Ylerin began, training their direction to a spot about half a mile behind the temple in the forest, “that leads to the caverns.”

 

         “That sounds more like it,” Tesla growled.

 

         “I warn you,” Aurelian said sternly, “should any of you get separated, it may be difficult to find you again.”

 

         Tesla grinned, slinging his arm around Druitt’s neck. “Stick together, just like old times, huh Johnny?”

 

         Druitt rolled his eyes and shoved Tesla’s arm off of him wearily.

 

***

 

         They trooped onward silently through the forest, pausing every now and again for the Sybarites to get their bearings. “We are close,” Aurelian hissed, and Helen waved the team forward. The night air was still and quiet, a lone cicada singing somewhere in the underbrush.

 

         “I think that’s it,” Will whispered, and pointed ahead. A few dozen yards ahead of them was a small stone grotto with markings that resembled those that adorned the temple.

 

         Helen nodded and made her way into the clearing, Will not far behind. Ylerin had stopped however, grabbing Tesla’s wrist. “ _Wait_. Something isn’t…”

 

         Just as Helen and Will stepped into the clearing they suddenly heard the “click”s of a dozen safety catches being turned off. A group of men uniformed in commando gear emerged from the shadows, muzzles pointed directly at Helen and Will.

 

         “Huh.” Helen slowly raised her hands into the air. “Guess we’ve got company, Will.”

 

         “What are you doing here?” One of the men asked, his gun trained on Helen’s head.

 

         “Holiday?” Will answered weakly. The men did not seem amused and continued advancing.

 

         Suddenly, there was a flash of orange light and a pale figure fell on top of one of the men. A split second later and John had grabbed Will and Helen’s arms, teleporting them deeper into the forest.

 

         Aurelian had his hands around a man’s throat, forcing his mouth open viciously. The man seemed to positively bleed silver mist and Aurelian ripped it from him cruelly, it vanishing into his hungry maw.

 

         There was a panicked burst of fire, bullets burying themselves into trees as Aurelian darted away, the man falling dead to the ground.

 

         “Dammit.” Helen swore under her breath as she crouched in the forest. She should have known this wasn’t going to be easy.

 

         “We can take these guys,” Will insisted, pulling out his gun.

 

         “They’re going to radio in for backup, so _no_ , we can’t take them all,” John growled. He disappeared, and then re-materialized with a hand on Aurelian, who had a few scratches on his face but otherwise seemed intact.

 

         “We have to draw then away from the entrance somehow.” Helen looked around them, desperately trying to jog inspiration.

 

         “Come on, you and me blood demon. We’ll get them all.” Aurelian’s eyes were flashing with unholy glee, and he looked as if he was going to dash back into the fray again. He was heady with adrenaline and kill-rage.

 

         Tesla was fidgeting, muttering “what to do, what to do” under his breath. Finally settling on a decision, his internal struggle ending, he got to his feet and pushed Aurelian back at Will.

 

         “Go on, all of you – run. Get into the tunnel, I’ll head them off.”

 

         “Nikola, _no_ —“

 

         “ _Get moving_ ,” he growled in a voice barely human. His face softened for a moment as Helen ran up to him. He put a finger to his lips, cutting her off before she could berate him, then swooped down and kissed her.

 

         He winked at John, who was livid, and turned back to Helen. “Speak well of me.”

 

         With a snarl he had transformed, his talons released with a deadly _“snick”_ and he darted off into the forest. They heard screams and a new volley of fire.

 

         John grabbed Helen’s arm and pulled her way. “He’s right – we have to go _now_.”

 

         They pelted through the forest, knowing they only had a short moment’s distraction. Once at the clearing, Aurelian ran for the small grotto. A tendril of silvery breath left his lips and they heard a dull “ _chink”_. He pushed upon a stone panel and stepped inside. He waved at them to hurry.

 

         Helen waited to go last. She scanned the night forest, straining her ears for gunfire one last time, before slipping into the stone entrance.

 

***

 

         The tunnel was cool and surprisingly dry. It was pitch-black and Will snapped on his flashlight, the beam only illuminating a few feet in front of them.

 

         Helen laid a hand on John’s arm. “Do you think he’ll be all right?”

 

         “I don’t rightly know.”

 

         The Sybarites went ahead of the flashlight’s beam, able to see in the darkness adeptly. They found the light distracting.

 

         “Where does this tunnel lead to?” Will asked.

 

         Aurelian smiled faintly, tapping his right temple. “You know, it is in your memories.”

 

         “The Path of Silver,” Will breathed. “What is it exactly?”

 

         “A labyrinth,” Ylerin said, quickly stalking forward.

 

         Down underground, Helen could not tell how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity until they had reached the tunnel’s end and it opened to a vast underground cavern.

 

         “Wow.” Will looked upward, the ceiling of the cavern was almost two storey’s high. It was rough and dripping with stalagmites, as if the cavern had been hollowed out by a natural occurrence.

 

         The entire place glowed with an eerie green light. “Phosphorous. There must be phosphorous deposits down here. Maybe in the moss.” Helen looked around in awe. But something was bothering her. There was no labyrinth, just a blank wall.

 

         “The Path is protected. It is a test,” Ylerin offered, noting Helen’s confusion.

 

         “So, how do we get in?”

 

         “Do you not see it, doctor?” Aurelian had a small, smug grin on his face. Helen felt a little annoyed. It seemed pointless to bring them this far, only to then start with more riddles. She was about to make a waspish remark when Will suddenly spoke up.

 

         “I see it.” He sounded as if someone within a dream. He was staring at the blank wall. “Turn off your flashlight.”

 

         Helen turned off her maglite with a click, Will doing the same. He pointed excitedly to the wall. “Do you see it?”

 

         The phosphorous light in the caverns was broken up by the rocky growths. Helen could see some of it hitting the wall, creating faint outlines. She squinted, trying to make sense of it. “Not really.”

 

         “Don’t look at the highlights, look at the shadows.”

 

         It took a moment for Helen to switch her focus, but then she saw it too. The shadows cast on the wall faintly made up the different phases of the moon. She watched as Will walked up to the wall, running his hand lightly over the smooth surface.

 

         He went to the full moon first, running his fingers around the edge, trying to find some sort of etching or latch. There was none. He tried breathing on it, but that didn’t work either.

 

         “Balance, Will…” Aurelian intoned softly.

 

         Balance? Will made his way to the center of the wall where the half-moon was. Frowning, he noticed a faint dark smudge in the middle, right where the dark and light half met. It could have been blood, but he wasn’t sure.

 

         Will breathed delicately on the line and they heard something “ _clunk”_. All of a sudden the wall began to slide and sank down into the ground. It revealed the rest of the cavern and a massive stone labyrinth. A hole in the ceiling revealed the night sky and moonlight streamed in.

 

         “Well done,” Druitt said, taking a step closer.

 

         Helen clapped her hand to Will’s shoulder, beaming with pride. “The Path of Silver.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helen and John have words. The entrance to the Silver Chamber revealed...

FOURTEEN

***

 

         They were standing on an incline, so that they could see part of the labryinth’s outline from a bird’s eye view. Aurelian pointed to the twisting, circular pathways and the center of the maze.

 

         “That is where the Chamber of Silver lies.”

 

         “Were you ever any good at mazes, Will?” Helen asked.

 

         He looked startled. “Are you telling me you’re not?”

 

         “Always preferred crosswords.”

 

         Will let out a gusty sigh, running his hand through his hair. “Can you teleport us to the center, Druitt?”

 

         John looked around the cavern and shook his head. “The minerals in these stones … they’re creating an electrical interference.”

 

         Will turned to the Sybarites pleadingly. “Any help?”

 

         They shook their heads apologetically. Ylerin said, “I’m afraid that neither of us were ever brought to the Chamber of Silver. We know only as much as you.”

 

         “Okay … okay, I can _do this_. Just … think…” Will sat down, folding his hands under his chin as he surveyed the labyrinth thoughtfully.

 

         “Can’t we just go through it like a regular maze? Leave trackers, and if we hit a dead end, double back?” Helen suggested.

 

         Aurelian shook his head vigorously. “No, doctor, do not attempt it. If you go down a dead end, you will find yourself closed in on all sides by stone walls. The Silver Path is protected.”

 

         “Great,” Helen muttered.

 

         “It’s called the Path of Silver for a reason.” Will stood up, looking at the hole in the ceiling that revealed the night sky. “And I don’t think that’s there just for decoration…” Will moved his head from side to side, still staring up at the hole. He could see the moon dart in and out of view as he moved around. An idea slowly dawned on him. “It’s a compass.”

 

         Helen walked over so she could see the exact point Will was staring at. He pointed to the sky. “The entrance to the maze was a half-moon. Depending on what direction we’re going, we can see either no moon, a half-moon or a full moon. I think we navigate the maze by making sure we see a half-moon at all times.”

 

         Druitt growled lowly. “It’s too risky.”

 

         “I think Will’s right. And we have to take that chance. Who knows what will happen if the cartel find their way into the chamber?” Helen hoisted up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She began making her way to the entrance of the labyrinth. Will shrugged apologetically at Druitt before following after.

 

         John sighed, but knew he would follow. He would always follow Helen, not matter how foolhardy the task.

 

***

 

         “Left or right?”

 

         Will felt a crick in his neck forming from constantly looking upwards. It was beginning to take its toll. “Left. We lose the moon to the right.”

 

         Helen nodded and bravely strode forward. Will groaned and tried stretching and massaging the pinched nerve from his neck. Aurelian and Ylerin both had their hands on his shoulders, guiding him.

 

         Helen insisted on leading first. She figured if they took a wrong step, she might be able to warn the rest and they wouldn’t be trapped. John seemed to sense what she was thinking though, and insisted on keeping pace with her.

 

         “I really don’t know what you’re hoping to find down here, Helen, but it isn’t worth risking your life.” John’s voice was taut. It was taking all of his effort not to sound like he was scolding her.

 

         He was failing miserably, though. Helen remained tight-lipped, resolutely navigating ahead.

 

         “We both know this is unnecessary,” he continued, “and foolhardy. You could have gotten the South American Sanctuary to head this operation. Hell, you could have even contacted the government. At the very least, we could have just blown up this entire cavern and left the rats to fight over insignificant scraps.”

 

         “Which one, Will?” Helen shouted, her voice rising as she tried to keep her anger in check. There was a pause and then he called back, “Center, straight ahead.”

 

         John sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. “I’m sorry, Helen. I guess I just don’t understand—“

 

         “ _Too right_ , you don’t bloody understand!” Helen hissed. “I don’t want to destroy something so important to an abnormal culture, that’s also been around for over five thousand years unless I absolutely have to. And there’s the Silver Lady to consider.”

 

         “What about her?”

 

         “She may be a super-abnormal, like Big Bertha. And she might be here, inside the heart of the labyrinth. We might end up destroying her along with everything else if we just set our explosives and run. And not knowing what kind of abnormal she is … who knows what the ramifications of that could be.”

 

         John nodded evenly. “I’m sorry. You were right.”

 

         “Never thought I’d hear you say that,” Helen snarled bitterly.

 

         “Helen, stop for a moment.” John held her hand, pulling her back to face him. “You harbour so much anger for me. If I could give anything to have you not hate me…”

 

         Helen hung her head, fighting to stop herself from shaking. “I don’t hate you, John.”

 

         “For you to forgive me.”

 

         “I wish I could, John. But knowing all the things that you’ve done … that it could still happen again…”

 

         John trembled, his fist clenched so had his knuckles had turned white. “Believe me, I regret it more than anyone.”

 

         “I won’t apologize for the way I feel,” Helen snapped. “Or be bullied into forgiving you.”

 

         “I wasn’t trying to _bully_ you—“ John stopped himself, hearing his own voice rising. He was choked with rage and frustration, but he was furious with himself. Nodding politely to her, he moved to the back of the team, giving her space.

 

         “Magnus, look!” Will pointed excitedly ahead. Distracted, Helen hadn’t realized that they had finally made it to the center of the maze. A large pillar stood in front of them.

 

         The Sybarites pushed their way to the front. Running, they fell to their knees when they reached the pillar. An image of a woman clothed in stars was etched onto the column. Helen held Will and Druitt back, giving the Sybarites’ a private moment. They seemed close to tears, reverently touching the carving of their goddess.

 

         There was the sound of stone grating and the Sybarites pulled their hands back in shock. The stone pillar was turning, descending into the ground in a spiral. As the pillar sunk into the ground, a figure came into view standing on the other side.

 

         Helen’s mouth fell open in shock. “Nikola?”

 

         He grinned sheepishly at them and shrugged. “I figured it out.”

 

         “How did you—“ Helen began walking forward. The stone pillar settled into the ground with a shudder, revealing a stairway. Nikola hopped down into it.

 

         “Sorry, Helen. But I’m not sharing this one.” He descended quickly out of sight.

 

         “ _What?_ ” Helen’s mouth worked furiously in shock. Snarling, Druitt broke into a run.

 

         Ylerin grabbed Aurelian’s hand and pulled him down into the stairway. The stone pillar started to rise immediately after they vanished from view, the stairway sealed.

 

         “You selfish prat!” Helen bellowed, still reeling.

 

         Druitt grappled with the pillar ineffectually, unable to halt its progression upward. The carving of the Silver Lady smiled serenely back at them, cold eyes unmoving.

 

         Will groaned and sat down, defeated. Helen trembled with rage, but knew it was useless. Nikola had disappeared into the Chamber of Silver and they were locked out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Nikola wished for...

FIFTEEN

***

 

         “Blood demon,” Aurelian panted, leaning against the stone surface of the stairway, “you’re alive.”

 

         Nikola shrugged, brushing dust off his sleeves. “It’s a gift.”

 

         Ylerin helped Aurelian to his feet. “I was afraid we wouldn’t make it just now.”

 

         “What are you doing here? Why leave the others?” Nikola shrugged dismissively, finding Aurelian too close for comfort. The Sybarite was beginning to grow suspicious and question Nikola’s motives.

 

         Ylerin tugged on Aurelian’s sleeve and made her face him. They had one of their purely facial conversations, Aurelian shooting glances at Tesla every now and again. Nikola pretended to examine his nails. Finally, Aurelian nodded. “All right, blood demon. We’ll see what she thinks.”

 

         “Why do you insist on calling me that?”

 

         Aurelian smirked. “I already call William, buddy.”

 

         They made their way down the stairwell. Silver light flooded the end of the path and the Sybarites grew silent as they reached the entrance.

 

         The chamber was smaller than Nikola expected, but it was elegant. Its walls were smooth and rounded, polished by unseen hands. There was a shallow, circular pool of water in the middle of the chamber.

 

         The Sybarites knelt at the pool’s edge, touching the surface of the water and bowing their hands in reverence. Nikola knelt by the edge as well, unsure of what to do. The simplicity and bareness of the fabled chamber had caught him off guard.

 

         “What happens now?” He whispered.

 

         Aurelian frowned, in thought. “Declare yourself as her champion. You’re a blood demon … so, I guess you will give a drop of your blood.”

 

         Nikola bit his thumb and held it above the water’s surface, watching as a single fat drop broke the stillness, spreading ripples. The water seemed to shimmer, taking on a more silver sheen.

 

         Nikola felt the back of his neck prickle. The air in the chamber seemed to grow colder. Aurelian and Ylerin both raised their heads, tendrils of silver leaving their mouths and curling in the air. Instead of dissipating, the silver mist twisted and pulsed as if it were a living thing.

 

         Nikola felt something cold brush against his mind, he gave an involuntary shiver, feeling his throat close with fear.

 

         “ _Declare yourself to her,_ ” Aurelian hissed urgently.

 

         “I,” Nikola began, unsure of whom he was speaking to, “I am Nikola Tesla. I’ve walked through the Path of Silver to the Chamber.”

 

         He heard a voice echoing in his mind, and it seemed as if the Sybarites could hear it too. It was in their archaic language, but somehow he could also understand.

 

         _:What does a child of the Blood Family know of me?:_

“He is not of the Family,” Ylerin said out loud.

 

         _:What are you then?:_

“A scientist.” Nikola added as an afterthought, “And the father of alternating current. Namesake of the Tesla coil – maybe you’ve heard of me.”

 

         The voice in his mind laughed, but in a manner that set his teeth on edge.

 

         _:I see what you are. Not human. Not sanguine. Some half-breed in the middle.:_

“Where have I heard that before?” He muttered under his breath with distaste. He suddenly felt the cold presence in his brain, probing. A faint memory of when he and Helen had discovered the vampire queen Afina came into view.

 

         _:How do you know of her?:_

“Rude bitch, she called me a half-breed too. Didn’t end well for her.”

 

         _:What do you mean?:_

Nikola shrugged. “Helen and I blew her up.”

 

         The voice went silent, as did the Sybarites. They looked stunned, as if he had pole-axed them with a heavy stick. Then the voice began to laugh.

 

         _:You are interesting, Nikola Tesla. Perhaps only one with half-blood could seek me out. Why did you come here?:_

“I heard you grant wishes.”

 

         _:I’m not a genie or a fairy godmother. You need to prove yourself worthy and in need of such a gift.:_

Nikola got to his feet, easing out a cramp in his side. He was tired of kneeling, and while he knew he had to be on his best behavior, any tone of authority always raised a streak of defiance in him. Even if it was legitimate, divine authority.

 

         “Are you looking for my personal worth or my loyalty? Because my accomplishments speak volumes to the former. But as for the latter…” He held out his hands and smirked. “…I bow to no one, darling.”

 

         Aurelian’s face froze, stricken by Nikola’s audacity. But Ylerin looked as if she were trying to hold back peals of laughter.

 

         “Lady,” Aurelian quickly spoke up, “we are the last two of your children. Left here to guide all those who would find their way back. But now there is no one else.”

 

         _:Yes, and I am glad to se you, son and daughter. And … you do not come to be broken…:_

The silver mist seemed to waft and caress Aurelian and Ylerin’s faces in wonder and fondness.

 

         “We have had some of the Family’s taints reversed from us. He orchestrated that.” Ylerin looked to Nikola encouragingly.

 

         The shifting silver mist rolled over to bathe Nikola’s face. The cool presence in his mind seemed to be looking him over in a new light, examining him closely.

 

         _:How?:_

Nikola held up a finger, and with a wink, a spark of electricity shot from the tip and arced across the expanse of the shallow pool. The chamber lit up with a sudden electric display.

 

         _:You are very curious indeed. Descended from he Blood Family … and I see you’ve inherited their lust for power and ambition. And yet, you bring my children back to me healed.:_

“I hate being predictable.”

 

         _:You hate being seen as many things. You are petty, selfish, single-minded … but you may be my champion yet. What did you wish to ask me?:_

The silver mist stroked his face, fonder of him now, but the presence in his mind felt icy. He knew he was standing on the edge of a precipice. The Silver Lady was waiting to see if he would stand steady, or overreach and fall. Either way, she would be laughing.

 

         “There is a man I know. His name is John Druitt. He has an energy elemental inside of him that seeks only chaos and havoc. It infects his mind, fills him with rage … causes him to do horrible things.”

 

         The silver mist darted around Nikola, weaving in and around his person with piqued interest. He could feel the cold buzzing and cooing in his mind.

 

         _:No love lost between you either. Jealousy. Hated. Competition. You want to best him? Want to see him fall?:_

Nikola closed his eyes, suddenly thinking to Helen and the look on her face when she thought he’d darted off to meet his death. “I want you to free him of it.”

 

         The silver mist stopped moving, hanging heavy in the air.

 

         _:Broken child … lost child … not one of my own, you belong to no one. Why do you wish such a thing?:_

Nikola felt the probing in his mind again, but firmly shut it out. “That’s my business.”

 

         The silver mist began swirling around him again, assessing him. _:I can remove it, but it will have to go into another vessel. Perhaps you are more clever than I anticipated … I sense my daughter owes you such a debt.:_

Ylerin bowed her head in assent. Aurelian looked over alarmed, but remained silent for fear of speaking out of turn to his deity.

 

         “No,” Nikola said softly. “You’ll put it into me.”

 

         Ylerin’s head snapped up, ready to protest, but a tendril of the silver mist stroked her mouth, indicating her not to interfere.

 

         _:This is no noble thing, Nikola who walks alone. I sense this energy being … it is malevolent … cruel. Inside you it would unleash more death and destruction than I will allow on my conscience. Wish for this thing, and I will destroy you.:_

“Your temple is under threat. It will be sacked, picked clean, and turned over through many hands.” Nikola drew in a shaky breath. “Ylerin and Aurelian are all that are left. You know no one else is coming. Do this for me, and collapse the temple. I’ll stay. Bury me.”

 

         The silver mist enveloped him, he could feel its cool touch over every inch of his skin. He trembled.

 

         _:You would rather die than tell her your true feelings?:_

Nikola closed his eyes and thought, instead of speaking out loud. _I would rather she’d never have to feel lonely again._

The silver mist recoiled in surprise, then settled above the glistening pool of water. The voice that spoke in his mind was warm and tinged with affection.

 

         _:Nikola, half-blood, caught in between … how I wish you were one of my own, but you are special in that you belong only to yourself. Deign to be my champion instead. I am sorry, child, for the pain you will feel.:_

Aurelian and Ylerin both closed their eyes, looks of pure bliss on their faces. The Silver Lady was making her goodbyes to them privately.

 

         Then, the silver mist began pulsing, flickering. Aurelian and Ylerin rose to their feet, watching the spectacle in anticipation, and a healthy amount of fear. Nikola could hear the sound of screaming in his mind, at first faint, but growing louder.

 

         The silver mist began to darken as it pulsed and writhed. With each second it grew darker and darker until it was black as oil.

 

         Then, the blackness reared up and hurtled towards Nikola. He staggered back, but the blackness raced down his mouth and nose. He could feel it burning inside of him, every nerve screaming in pain.

 

         Finally it was over. He stumbled backwards. His head felt like it was on fire, and he smelt blood. He heard two hearts beating rapidly. He turned to Aurelian and Ylerin, a strong, carnal voice inside of him crowing for their blood.

 

         The walls of the chamber shook violently, a stream of dust raining on them from a fissure that formed in the ceiling. He could feel himself transforming against his will, his eyes black, and his voice feral.

 

         “Run.”

 

         The temple rumbled warningly again, and Aurelian looked upwards in alarm. It had already started. He nodded once at Nikola, grabbing Ylerin’s arm.

 

         “You’re not bad for a blood demon.”

 

         Nikola chuckled, sinking to his knees as he fought the black blood lust coursing through him. The water lapped at his legs, soaking through his clothes and bringing cool respite.

 

         As the Sybarites ran out of the crumbling chamber, Ylerin heard Nikola Tesla call out to her one last time.

 

         “Remember what you promised.”


	16. The End

[-](http://www.sanctuaryfiction.net/viewstory.php?sid=1029&chapter=16&textsize=-1) **Text Size** [+](http://www.sanctuaryfiction.net/viewstory.php?sid=1029&chapter=16&textsize=1)

SIXTEEN

***

 

         The temple rumbled as if thunder shook its walls. Will looked around nervously. “What was that?”

 

         The stone pillar suddenly cracked, falling apart in chunks of white stone. Helen, John and Will ran over, nearly tripping as another rumble shook the ground. Helen saw a pale arm shoot up from the stairway.

 

         “Here!” She grasped the arm and heaved, pulling Ylerin out of the hole. Will and John helped Aurelian out of the stairway right after. They both stank of fear and panic, Aurelian pushing them towards the exit.

 

         “We have to go now!”

 

         “The temple is collapsing!” Ylerin yelled.

 

         “Where’s Nikola?” Helen asked, but Ylerin grabbed her and started running. A large chunk of stone crashed to the ground a few feet from them.

 

         “He’s dead.” Aurelian shook his head sadly, then pushed Will in an effort to get them going. “There’s no time right now, we have to go.”

 

         The team pelted through the labyrinth, the ground literally ripping itself apart. They had some narrow misses with large chunks of the ceiling exploding to the ground around them.

 

         “Once we get to the outer chamber, you should be able to teleport,” Helen shouted above the din.

 

         Her legs pounded beneath her mechanically, adrenaline taking over. Her thoughts were focused solely on getting out, but in the back of her mind she sobbed angrily for Nikola. Bloody, selfish fool! Why … why would he do something so reckless? Why couldn’t he think of something other than his own curiosity, his own schemes? She couldn’t believe he was dead.

 

         A hefty rock fell on Will’s shoulder and he stumbled. Aurelian grasped his arms and hauled him to his feet, yelling something he couldn’t hear. Head spinning, Will held onto Aurelian for dear life as they made the final push to the outer chamber.

 

         John laid his hands on them and they disappeared. Helen and Ylerin huddled together behind a rock shelf, shielding their faces from the dust and debris.

 

         “Why … how could he? Is he really…” Helen looked pleadingly at Ylerin.

 

         A dark look passed over the Sybarite’s face, and her eyes lowered. “He was not found worthy. He is gone.”

 

         “What – what could he possibly have wanted down there?”

 

         Ylerin shook her head helplessly. “I do not know. It is not the way of the Silver Lady.”

 

         Helen’s eyes watered, she couldn’t tell if it was from the dust stinging her eyes or something else. Before she could begin the hopeless cycle of despair and unanswered questions, John reappeared and whisked them away to safety.

 

***

 

         They reappeared in the clearing of the forest. Helen could hear a babble of excitement and alarm below them. It seemed the cartel’s excavation team had been buried.

 

         Will lay spread-eagled on the grassy floor, trying to catch his breath. His shoulder was bleeding lightly, but the cut looked shallow. Aurelian ran over and grasped Ylerin’s hand, relief suffusing his face.

 

         Helen’s phone was chirping madly. Glancing down she noticed it was from Henry and answered.

 

         “Doc! You’re all right.”

 

         Despite feeling her worst, hearing his concern made her smile. “I’m fine, Henry.”

 

         “What the hell is going on down there? We have a tap on the Blanco communication lines and all I know is that they went haywire five minutes ago.”

 

         “The temple’s collapsed. It’s all gone.”

 

         She heard a low whistle on the other end. “Wow … everyone get out okay?”

 

         Helen felt her chest tighten, but kept her voice even. “We lost Nikola.”

 

         “Genius? For real?”

 

         “He’s buried under the temple. The Sybarites were there.”

 

         “Oh man…”

 

         “I’ll see you back at the Sanctuary.” Helen turned off her phone.

 

         She looked to see what was left of her team, confused emotions running through her at lightning speed. Anger, betrayal, frustration, denial, grief and an aching emptiness.

 

         John swayed on his feet, then suddenly sank to the ground. Worried, Helen crouched beside him, steadying his shoulders. He seemed dazed, and at first she thought he had been concussed. But when he turned to face her, his pupils were even. There was a curious, stunned look on his face.

 

         “I feel different,” he muttered.

 

         “What do you mean?”

 

         “I feel lighter … clean…”

 

         She sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. They looked up at the night sky. It was strewn with stars and a silver half-moon.

 

         “It’s just us now.”

 

***

 

         Will grinned in surprise, marveling at the sight before him.

 

         “Is it not appropriate?” Aurelian asked nervously.

 

         “No, no … you look _slick_.”

 

         If the Sybarites could truly blush, they would have been coloured pink. They were both dressed in new clothing; Aurelian was dressed in grey slacks, a crisp white shirt and a black leather jacket. Ylerin was wearing a long, dark blue dress with a light scarf and dark glasses to shield her eyes.

 

         “Come here, buddy.” Will clasped Aurelian in a brief, firm hug, feeling proud.

 

         They had returned to the Sanctuary, deciding to learn more about the normal world and ways to blend in. Helen had put them through a vigorous course in adapting, and together they devised clever tricks in hiding the more visible aspects of their abnormality. It had done wonders to their confidence in regaining full control of their sensory abilities.

 

         “Where do you think you’ll go first?” Will asked.

 

         Aurelian and Ylerin glanced at each other and shrugged at the same time.

 

         “First, we will drop in and report to the South American Sanctuary,” Ylerin said.

 

         “Then,” Aurelian continued, “Argentina. Or Chile. We want to explore the world the Silver Lady has left us. The one beyond the walls of the temple.”

 

         Will was happy for them, but sad to seem them go. “I hope you have a great time. And make sure to drop by Brazil.”

 

         Aurelian clasped his hand fondly. “I will send you a postcard.”

 

         “I’d like that.”

 

         The Sybarites bowed their heads to him slightly, still in keeping with their few quirks. They then stepped out into the sunlight to explore a world they had once only seen by night.

 

         Helen joined Will by the doorway, her arms folded across her chest with a similar proud smile on her face. She patted his shoulder. “Come on, Will. The nubbins have gotten loose and are hiding out in the duct systems again. Kate’s already breaking out the stunners.”

 

         Will groaned. “There’s never a dull day at home, is there?”

 

         Helen pretended to think about that then cheerfully said, “Nope!” She looked out at her courtyard and at the sun slowly rising above Old Town. It was still, bathed in warm, orange light.

 

         There was a flutter of pigeons, and she went back inside.


	17. The Epilogue

EPILOGUE

***

 

         Ylena checked her phone and saw that she still had five minutes to spare. She re-adjusted her dark glasses, and loosed a few buttons on her long coat. The Venezuelan sun baked down on the city, making her long, blonde hair appear almost white.

 

         She slipped into the patio of a small riverside bar, and made her way over to the table in the back. Sliding into the seat, she delicately crossed her legs, smoothing the hem of her skirt.

 

         The man sitting across from her was reading a newspaper, not every bothering to look up at her as he finished his article. “I ordered some sangria. I hope you don’t mind.”

 

         “It will be welcome in this heat.”

 

         Done, he folded the paper and dropped it onto the table. “And how is Aureliano?”

 

         The proprietor brought over the chilled pitcher himself, charmed by Ylena’s exotic looks, and blushed when she thanked him with a smile. “He’s surfing in Brazil. He’s discovered a fondness for the sport.”

 

         “And more the fool, him.” The man sneered.

 

         “So what is it this time, Nikola? Sham artifacts? Government think tank?”

 

         Tesla sipped from his glass, a look of unadulterated pleasure washing over his face. He savored the taste a moment longer before responding. “Private telecommunications contract. I want a lead on what the competition is up to first.”

 

         Ylena raised an eyebrow. “Where are they based?”

 

         “Rio de Janeiro.”

 

         She chuckled. “In and out like ghosts? Hmm … Brazil _is_ nice this time of year. Aureliano would be able to join us.”

 

         Tesla raised his glass and touched it to hers in cheers.

 

         “They all think you’re dead.”

 

         Nikola buried his face in his glass, fishing for an orange slice. “Good.”

 

         Ylena sighed, absently tapping the rim of her glass with the tip of her fingernail. “You don’t ever want to go back?”

 

         “The constant sunlight is doing wonders for my mood. And all the bikini girls…”

 

         “I’ve kept your secrets this whole time,” Ylena cut in. “You should be able to trust me at this point. I haven’t pressed you for any answers on how you got out alive … or how that _thing_ isn’t inside of you anymore. You can at least be honest with me on this.”

 

         Nikola sighed, waving his hand dismissively as he looked somewhere off his shoulder. Ylena waited patiently, eyes boring into him. “Kinda? But I dread it too. It was nice when it felt like a home, but … I can never really stay in one place for long.”

 

         He frowned and then asked quietly. “Does she miss me?”

 

         Ylena snorted. “Yes. She also wants to kill you with her bare hands.”

 

         Nikola laughed, leaning back into his chair. “Some things never change.”

 

***

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sybarite" has a sequel! That will be posted up shortly and updated fairly quickly up until the most recent chapter (it is also currently housed at fanfiction.net and sanctuaryfiction.net). More mayhem, hijinks, a sinister plot, and unresolved romantic tensions all round.
> 
>  
> 
> TEASER: John Druitt, purged of his energy elemental is cautiously excited of a chance to be a new man. But a sinister plot is afoot to reveal his true identity as the perpetrator of the Whitechapel murders, and the Sanctuary is under threat. The only man Helen can think of who could help them in their time of need is also one she thinks is dead....


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